


The Predators

by Demenior



Series: Werewolf [3]
Category: Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Canon-Typical Violence, Eventual Relationships, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mostly Gen, Multi, Pack Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-04
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-02-24 02:07:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 35,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2564330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demenior/pseuds/Demenior
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Animorphs survived their attack on the Yeerk Pool, and are now facing a threat much closer to home: what happened to Tobias that made him lose himself and is it going to happen to them too? By hunting for clues they encounter some unexpected allies and get some answers they may not want to hear. How much can they give up before they stop being human?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! It's good to be back! Welcome to Part 2 of the Animorphs Werewolf au. (Note that there are 8 Planned Parts (not accounting for any little side-stories that may be written along the way. Go big or go home I guess.)
> 
> As it is a Part 2, I would recommend that you read Part 1 (The Invasion) if you haven't already.
> 
> With that said, we are officially taking off from canon and going in completely new directions! I did go through and take note of all the important plot points from the original series, and I've merged them as best and as cohesively as I could into something a little new, a little fresh, and a little hairy-er. So I hope you have fun guessing at what's coming next!
> 
> Enjoy!

Rachel used to dream about balance beams and meeting the love of her life. Normal things, dreams she didn’t wake up sweating and shaking, covered in fur and nearly tearing up her duvet with claws that a normal girl _didn’t_ have.

Rachel dreamed about blood now. Sometimes it was blood from their first hunt— just bits and pieces, really. Chasing down the deer through the wood and the power in her body and joy of running with a pack. Those were good dreams, and left her hungry when she woke up. Usually, though, it was the bad dreams about blood. The ones where the enemy was coming at her from all sides, and Jake was trapped underneath a monstrous hellhound and she couldn’t do anything except _kill_.

In a fight, as a human, Rachel had been okay with the idea of using her fists or weapons to fight. She was prepared to defend herself and stand up to bullies who might need a physical lesson. Not that Rachel had actually been in any fights— until now. It was an entirely different thing to have _killed_ with your own mouth. To feel the flesh and bone and taste the warm, alien, blood and to tear it away. The feeling of blood running down her face still gave her chills—both exciting and terrifying— whenever she thought about it.

Her stomach growled and Rachel dug into her nightstand to find the stash of granola bars she’d hidden. The box was almost empty and she’d had it there for almost a week. This was one part of being a werewolf she wouldn’t mind getting rid of—the constant hunger. It drove her crazy sometimes how she _always_ needed to eat. One would think that the constant eating would be due to a high metabolism so that she wouldn’t actually gain any weight except she _was_.

A lot of it was muscle, Rachel noticed right away the new definition in her arms and legs that she hadn’t had before. But she wasn’t as slender as she used to be. She _was_ bulking up, but so far it wasn’t too noticeable. Maybe she should mention to Jake if they should pretend to start a workout routine, to explain their new muscles.

It was early, her alarm hadn’t gone off yet, but Rachel pushed herself out of bed. The sunrise was lighting up her room, thankfully diffused by the leaves on the tree right outside her window. She looked out, past suburbia, into the mountains, and thought about Tobias.

It had been a week since Jake and Cassie had told them about what had happened to Tobias. They’d tried a few times now to find him—and Marco had come close but Tobias had run away before they could get close enough to catch him.

Rachel felt sick that she hadn’t been around to help him. Her mom had decided that night was time for a family dinner—which meant they all ate the same takeout at the table and made awkward conversation because family dinners just weren’t their thing—and Rachel hadn’t been able to escape without starting a fight. With all the leeway she was going to need for the nights she had to get away to transform, Rachel couldn’t afford to have her mom angry at her.

She’d find Tobias, Rachel had decided. She was going to find him and snap him out of whatever was going on in his head. He was a human like them, not a wolf, and he didn’t deserve to be living alone in the mountains like an animal.

Part of her wondered if Tobias had just run away from home. She didn’t know a lot, just little things she’d picked up from the way he talked about his home life, but she knew it wasn’t good. Jake had used Tobias’ notes to forge a letter to Tobias’ uncle saying that Tobias was going to stay with his aunt. As long as Tobias wasn’t considered missing the police wouldn’t start investigating.

They’d decided that was the best course of action—Marco had decided for them—because the police couldn’t be trusted. The Yeerks were everywhere. There really was no one to trust, not even their own families. Rachel didn’t know how Jake handled it, living every day with his brother as if nothing had changed when he knew that Tom was a prisoner in his own head.

Truthfully Rachel didn’t know if her _own_ family was infested. She’d kept a close eye on them, but hadn’t smelled anything Yeerk-ish on them. It didn’t mean they were free though. Tom smelled normal most of the time. He smelled awful the days he went to the Yeerk Pool, but otherwise he was totally normal.

Rachel hopped in the shower and went about her morning routine. She was ready early, and didn’t have to walk her little sisters, Jordan and Sara, to school today because her mother’s hearing wasn’t until later this afternoon.

Her mother was a lawyer and it was almost unfair because she was _impossible_ to reason with since she knew every trick in the book to turn your argument against you.

Sometimes her mom liked to make Rachel walk her sisters anyways, so Rachel did her best to avoid drawing attention while she made herself lunch for the day. If she hurried, she could make it to Jake’s house and they could walk together. She wasn’t very worried about Jake leaving early—he was lucky to wake up on time at all.

“Rachel are you up?” her mom called down the stairs.

Rachel shoved her lunch in her bag, “Just leaving! I’m going to walk with cousin Jake! Bye mom!”

She raced out the door before Naomi could ask her for any favors.

It had rained a little last night, and the air was rich with scents. Rachel breathed in happily, taking it all in. A dog had peed on the corner of their lawn last night, and while it was gross, Rachel could tell the gender of and how old the dog was. She could smell the irritating fumes from cars, which was unfortunately not going away anytime soon and she’d almost gotten used to it. She could smell breakfast being made in a few homes, and the concoction of aroma from the garbage that had been placed on the curb of many driveways.

It was out of her way, which was why she didn’t normally walk with Jake, but he lived close enough that it didn’t take her long at all. She enjoyed the weak sunshine warming her up, and the soft breeze on her face. Everything was so normal and lovely, she never would have guessed that she was a terrible monster who could kill with one bite.

Aunty Jean answered the door, and she smiled as soon as she saw Rachel.

“Hi sweetie! I didn’t know you were coming!” she grabbed Rachel in a big hug.

“Is Jake still here?” Rachel asked, stepping inside.

Aunty Jean rolled her eyes, though fondly, “I’m _trying_ to get him out the door but he won’t stop eating.”

Rachel could smell breakfast and wished she’d brought an extra snack. She kicked off her shoes and made her way into the kitchen. Jake’s home was practically her second home, though she didn’t spend as much time here as she used to since her parents divorced. Not too much had changed over the years so she easily found the cups and poured herself a glass of water.

Jake looked surprised to see her. Rachel realized she didn’t really have a reason for wanting to walk to school with Jake.

<Pack,> she said, and shrugged.

“Morning,” Jake grinned, accepting her explanation. She felt instantly better just being around him—they were going through the same changes. She hadn’t even realized that she was feeling strange about not having another wolf around.

Jake and her had stopped spending as much time together after her parents divorced, and Rachel did miss that. They used to have a lot of fun together. Besides, except for Jake’s hair being darker than hers, they looked like they were more closely related than Jake and Tom were. Their baby pictures were nearly identical and Rachel suspected a few of Jake’s pictures that were still on display on the mantle were actually of her, as she had been the cuter baby.

“You want some?” Jake asked, pointing to the food on the table.

Normally Rachel said no, but she glanced at the clock, “We have to go soon.”

“We have long legs. We’ll walk fast,” Jake replied.

Rachel grabbed a plate and dug into some scrambled eggs and pancakes.

“Teenagers,” Jean muttered, shaking her head, “you’re never full!”

Tom ran into the kitchen, grabbing a slice of toast off of the table.

“Morning,” Aunty Jean said.

Tom nodded, “Morning,” and he noticed Rachel, “hey,” he said lamely.

Jake stayed notably quiet and Tom didn’t say anything about it.

“I’ll probably be late tonight,” Tom said, “got some stuff to put together for the Sharing. That fundraiser, you know? Don’t wait up for me.”

Rachel could feel Jake’s rage and disgust, and she tried to reach out with her mind to calm him down. She was here now, and one day they were going to save Tom.

Tom left quickly, and Jake and Rachel finished their breakfast in silence.

“Just leave the dishes,” Aunty Jean said, “or else you’ll be late.”

“Thanks mom,” Jake grinned, “I think we’re going to the mall after school—or maybe out to Cassie’s. I’ll see you later.”

Rachel linked her arm through Jake’s as they walked. Part of her hoped the touch would help calm him down—and it did—but the other part of her just liked the feeling of having someone else so close. It scared her a bit, these new feelings. She _needed_ to touch her friends or just be near them. She was even noticing their _smells_ , as gross as that was. They smelled good, and they smelled best and _right_ when they all smelled like each other. Jake didn’t pull away and walked even closer to her. Rachel knew he felt the same way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left a comment, and to all of you who continue to read this story. Hope you enjoy!

School was the biggest change. While Rachel had never been overtly friendly with strangers—always an air of nervousness and mistrust—school was somewhere where she had always felt safe. It was full of kids her age, all sharing the same experiences for their whole lives. She knew all the faces, most of the names, and how everything worked.

Not so much anymore.

She couldn’t trust _any_ of the faces she knew in the hall. Any one of them might have a slimy Yeerk behind their eyes, controlling their every movement. Rachel would sit in her classes and think about how badly she didn’t want to know what it felt like to bite out the throats of her classmates.

Jake pulled away from her as they neared the school. They were family, so it wasn’t weird for them to be affectionate, but they didn’t want to draw too much attention. They all had to pretend like they were just acquaintances, save for Jake and Marco, and Rachel and Cassie, who were close friends before Elfangor had attacked them.

Rachel shuddered. It was almost two weeks since Elfangor had tricked them in the construction site, forcing his bite on them. They’d had no choice in becoming werewolves, or in joining the war against the Yeerks. So much had been thrown at them, and they were still struggling to catch up.

Classmates weren’t the only ones they had to avoid. Vice-principal Chapman was standing on the front steps, greeting kids as they walked into the school. Chapman was a Controller—someone high-ranking in Visser Three’s council. They didn’t know how many other teachers were controllers, not yet.

Jake had stopped and Rachel felt a burst of anger—and fear—from him. She followed his gaze and saw Erek King watching them from one of the second-floor classroom windows. Rachel pressed her lips together to keep from snarling at him.

Erek had been a normal kid—or so they thought—and after they’d been bitten it turned out Erek was so far from human it was funny they could have thought of him as plain or average at all. No one knew what he was, but he knew about them and he knew about the Yeerks but he hadn’t sold them out. Yet. Erek had promised Cassie that he would tell them what he knew about them, but that they had to wait. It frustrated Rachel, being pulled around like that.

Erek nodded briskly, a human gesture, and turned away from the window.

A soothing tone fell across Jake and Rachel’s minds and Rachel recognized the feel of Cassie’s calm and compassion. She could see the other girl, short, black and dressed in boots and overalls, walking up the steps to the school beside Chapman. She smiled at the vice principal and went inside, her emotions trailing across Jake and Rachel like a soothing hand.

As they approached the school they felt Marco like an explosion. He was just saying good morning but it was like he was yelling at the top of his voice. Rachel wondered if he was just excited for them to all be back together.

They had all been terrified about what happened to Tobias and spent a night out in the woods camping again. Sleeping in a group like that had been one of the most refreshing nights of Rachel’s life, and she felt an ache like a missing limb when she had to sleep alone. Her favorite moments were when she was with her pack.

She and Jake passed Chapman without incident.

<We need to talk to Erek soon,> Rachel said, <I don’t like this sitting in the dark. What are we supposed to do next?>

<Don’t do anything,> Jake reminded her quickly, <we don’t know anything about Erek and we can’t afford to anger him. Not when he knows about us.>

Rachel rolled her eyes. Thought-speak was a lot easier too now, with a bit of practice, <Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m not stupid. I just hate that he’s yanking our chain.>

<Technically he’s yanking our collar,> Marco added helpfully, from somewhere in the building, <but he’s in my second period class… want me to talk to him?>

<Not alone,> Jake said quickly.

Rachel moved to her locker, Jake continued to his just down the hall.

She played with her lock but her mind was elsewhere, <He won’t start anything in the middle of class. I say go for it.>

<You don’t know that,> Jake replied.

<I think Rachel is right,> Cassie said. She’d been talking to some people and made her way to her locker beside Rachel’s. Rachel winked thankfully at her, <Erek has been pretending to be human for how many years now? He’s invested in not being noticed. So he won’t do anything to draw attention. So just talk to him in class or write him a note but don’t get overheard, okay Marco?>

<I’m not so good at writing love letters, but I’ve received enough to figure out what I should say,> Marco responded.

Rachel bit back her retort of ‘your mom doesn’t count’. Marco’s mother had drowned almost two years ago and Marco was still hurt about it.

<No scathing remark? Do you actually believe me, Rachel?>

Rachel snorted, grabbed her books and shoved her bag into her locker, <I was going to ask if you actually _read_ any of them because I’m positive those letters were noise complaints. >

Marco tutted, <Good effort, but it was a weak comeback.>

<Oh shut up,> she muttered.

She caught sight of Jake rolling his eyes as he and Cassie headed off to their first class together.

The day passed by rather uneventfully until lunch. Rachel was starving by then, and she noticed Jake and Marco had extra helpings from the cafeteria. She and Cassie were sitting with some girls from one of their classes, and Rachel was barely paying attention. She was sitting across from Cassie, and their knees were touching under the table. The wolf in Rachel wanted more contact, but she was content with this little touch for now.

<Erek says we can come by tonight, and our alpha is also invited,> Marco informed him. He and Jake were digging into their food like, well, ravenous wolves.

<What’s all this deal about an alpha?> Jake asked, <even Visser Three was ranting about an alpha.>

<Well people have always assumed normal wolves have a hierarchy, even though that’s not really true,> Cassie explained, <there’s the head male and female but—>

<I get the feeling that’s not what they’re talking about,> Marco said.

Rachel frowned at him cutting Cassie off.

<Who cares!> Rachel said, <where are we meeting him? Can we head over right after school?>

<His place,> Marco shrugged.

<What if it’s a trap?> Jake wondered.

Rachel saw Marco give Jake an approving nod. Cassie gave her a nudge with her knee and gestured at the boys. Rachel looked closer and could see them knocking knees just like her and Cassie. She smiled.

<Okay…> Jake was thinking out loud, literally, <we need to keep someone on the outside—probably me or Rachel—and we have to be ready to go through a door or a wall in case there’s trouble. The others can stay in touch with thought-speech. Or both of us stay out, in case.>

Rachel didn’t like the idea of Marco and Cassie going in alone, and she could see instantly that Jake didn’t like it either.

<Hey, suggestion, how about I stay on the outside of the insanely powerful magical creature’s home?> Marco offered.

<Nah,> Rachel said, <Erek likes you. You’re bathroom buddies.>

Jake laughed at that and gave Marco a friendly nudge under the table.

“Rachel, hello, earth to Rachel,” one of the girls—Brittany—cut in.

Rachel sat up, “Oh, sorry. Zoned out, didn’t sleep well.”

“Duh,” Brittany laughed.

<Okay so Marco and Cassie are going in—if you’re okay with that Cassie. And Rachel do you or I want to wait outside?>

“Well I’m the muscle,” Rachel stated the obvious. Cassie kicked her under the table. Rachel’s eyes widened. Had she said that _out loud_?

“What?” Brittany asked.

“Sorry,” Rachel said again, and hated the feel of the word in her mouth, “what did you say?”

“I was saying that there aren’t a lot of good looking boys in our school—you know—for the dances coming up,” Brittany sighed, “I mean, Jake’s pretty cute.”

Cassie choked on her juice box and Rachel felt the flare of alarm from Jake across the room.

“I don’t want to hear ab—” Rachel glanced at Cassie, “actually, tell me just _how_ cute Jake is. Because, you know, he’s my cousin. I just don’t think of him that way. Do you _really_ think girls could like him?”

<Well obviously I’m the muscle,> Rachel fired back, properly. Cassie looked like she was going to die.

<Okay I’ll go in with them,> Jake agreed, <We’ll call if we need help. Is everyone okay with that? And what’s wrong with Cassie?>

<Sounds good and she’s fine. Brittany just thinks you have a cute butt,> Rachel lied.

There was a shout across the room and Rachel didn’t have to turn to imagine what Jake’s face must look like—probably choking on his lunch, while Marco fell out of his chair laughing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going up earlier than usual because life is hectic.

Marco’s good mood had lasted right up until last period when he realized what they were about to do. The smell of Erek was practically burned into his nose, and the fear he’d felt when confronting the other _creature_ felt as fresh as the day it had happened.

Everyone else seemed nervous as they walked home. From the school they went their separate ways, towards their own homes so that the Yeerks didn’t see them moving to one place together. They had a meeting spot picked out, and half an hour to get there.

Marco waited for the city bus, normally the one he took was the first one there, but instead he let it pass him by. He wanted the next one so it would take him around the corner and he could hop off from there. Sure, a lot of the adults would think he was lazy, but if anyone was watching him all it would seem like was he got on a bus like normal.

The bus was late, obviously, and so Marco was the last to show. Jake looked serious, Cassie looked nervous, and Rachel looked excited for a fight.

“I was just thinking,” Marco said out loud as he approached, “did anyone wear their morphing clothes? Or, if things get hairy, are we going to be a bunch of naked kids hauling butt through the streets?”

Both the girls had worn theirs and Marco as well. Jake looked embarrassed, “I thought we wouldn’t need it at school,” he mumbled.

“That cute butt of yours will finally get a tan,” Marco winked. Jake and Cassie both went red and Jake buried his face in his hands.

He groaned, “Look, let’s just hope for the best. Most likely we won’t have to fight at all.”

<Do you really believe that?> Rachel asked him, privately. She and Jake were the largest in the group. It was up to them to protect their friends.

Jake glanced at her, but said nothing.

“We’re just going in for some information,” Cassie said, “I can write stuff down in my notebook. The more we know about… about what we are, the better equipped we’ll be to handle… and we can find out how to help Tobias.”

“What we really need to know is if that’s going to happen to us,” Marco said.

They all fell silent.

“Let’s go,” Jake said, “Rachel you wait for the call, okay? We’ll stay in touch with you, and keep you updated. If we got silent for ten minutes then—”

“Then I bust in and save your cute butt,” Rachel grinned.

Jake groaned and rolled his eyes.

Erek lived in a totally average neighborhood. There were no weird smells or anything particularly sinister looking. It looked like a bunch of normal people lived here. The sun was out, the day was warm and all the grass was green. All the lawns were mowed, though not to any sort of creepy perfection. They just looked… normal.

Marco ended up leading the way, having gotten Erek’s address from him in class. There were no alarming signs to tell him to _not_ be here, but he wanted nothing more than to turn and run away.

Erek’s house was only a few lots off the main road, tucked nicely into a cul-de-sac. There was a powerbox just a house away from Erek’s, right off the sidewalk. Rachel stopped and leaned against it. She pulled off menacing very well.

“Try not to eat anyone,” Marco said, remembering how vicious she’d been the night in the Yeerk Pool. He still had nightmares of how easily she’d killed the Hork-Bajir.

“Wait for the signal. Hopefully nothing happens,” Jake said, “but… try not to let anyone see you? Maybe you should get a better spot…”

Rachel pointed, “I can see a side gate right there. I’ll go through there and change. Trust me Jake, it’s gonna be fine.”

“I’m nervous… but excited,” Cassie said, “finally we’ll get some answers.”

The three of them made their way up to the front step.

Jake took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

There was no response. The kids strained their ears to hear sounds of movement inside, and there were none.

“Wait,” Marco said, “he’ll be here, right? We didn’t like beat him home or anything?”

Jake licked his lips, and tried the doorbell.

“Do we… wait?” he said nervously. They had no idea how to respond to no answer. Confrontation or acceptance they were expecting, not this.

“Is this his address?” Marco wondered, glancing down to the paper he’d written it down on. Yup, the address was correct.

“Should we leave?” Jake asked.

Cassie stepped forwards and tried the doorknob. Both Jake and Marco flinched, expecting something terrible to happen. The door swung open. Inside the house was dark. It was nearly _too_ dark. The sun didn’t travel in the open door very far, and they had to strain their eyes to see shapes of furniture.

“Well…” Cassie said, breathless with nervousness, “if I was going to scare the pants off of a bunch of kids, I would make them enter the scary house on their own.”

Both of them looked to Jake. He went white, “Why me?” he asked.

Marco shrugged, “Well you’re here to protect us, remember, Big Jake?”

“That’s a stupid nickname. I’m not _that_ tall,” Jake muttered, and took a step inside. He vanished from their minds.

“Whoa,” he said, seizing up for a moment as a shudder ran through his body, “that was weird.” As he turned to face them his face crumpled and he looked like someone had died.

“What?” Cassie demanded, “are you okay?”

<Where’s Jake?> Rachel blasted into their minds. Marco and Cassie winced.

Jake jumped out of the house and they could feel him again.

Rachel came sprinting up behind them and she grabbed her cousin, “Are you okay? I couldn’t feel you!”

Jake was still pale, as if he’d been scared half to death, “y—yeah. I’m okay. I think… it felt weird, like walking into water. I think it cut me off. I couldn’t feel you either.”

“I can’t wait outside,” Rachel shook her head, “if I can’t feel you then I won’t wait outside.”

Marco felt as if he’d been punched when Jake had been ripped from his mind so suddenly, and the look on Cassie’s face said she felt the same way.

“Okay so we all go in together?” Jake asked.

Marco stared at him, “Why are we going in at _all_? The only thing this place is missing is a giant flashing neon sign that says ‘this is a trap’ on the front lawn.”

“Yeah but we’re here,” Rachel said, and the way she said _we_ felt like a powerful totem. It wasn’t just four of them there, but it was a _pack_. They were all in this together. They’d taken on Hork-Bajir, Taxxons and the Visser himself and survived.

“Okay let’s go,” Cassie blurted, “before I change my mind.”

Rachel grinned, “Lets do it!”

Marco whimpered, “this is _insane_.”

“I’ll hold your hand,” Jake offered with a sly grin.

Marco slapped him away and then stepped through the door. They tried to ignore the feeling of losing him—he was right there in front of them—and the three of them shoved their way in behind him. The relief of being together again was almost embarrassing.

The door swung shut behind them.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update because I've got another busy weekend coming up. Enjoy!

“Trap, trap, trap,” Marco sang under his breath.

It felt like the entire house exploded with sensation. It was filled with the unearthly smell of lightning and fire and ice, and lit strangely. The light from the outside was warped and twisted, spattering on the walls and the floor like it was being diffused through a forest.

“Magic?” Cassie gasped, “is that what this is?”

“You are correct,” Erek said. He walked around a corner, and before their minds could conceptualize the truth of his appearance he took on his human form once more, “would you like a snack?” He looked human but had dropped all pretense of acting like one. His face was entirely passive, without any sign of emotion. His eyes seemed bigger in the dark

Jake was going to refuse but then his stomach grumbled, and the others looked up at him pleadingly. They were all starving.

“Okay,” he said, “if you’re offering. But we want some answers.”

Erek nodded, “It’s not often we see…” his brow furrowed, “where is your alpha?”

“We don’t need one,” Rachel said.

The way Erek cocked his head didn’t feel right, “No alpha?” he mused, “how strange. If there is no alpha… then how were you born?”

He moved into the doorway to his right. Jake cautiously followed, with Cassie holding onto the back of his shirt. Marco was right behind her with Rachel taking up the rear.

“Elfangor, the one that bit us… he’s dead,” Jake said, offering no more.

Erek didn’t look bothered by the news, almost delighted instead, but then again it was difficult to read his facial expressions, “And so the poor little ones are lost without a guide. How well can you see in the darkness?”

The kitchen seemed normal enough. The lighting was still strange, and while the house was large and mostly devoid of furniture except the bare minimum to appear human, it felt crowded with ancient trunks and full of old, twisted roots.

“We have received a generous donation,” Erek said, and he reached into the fridge. Marco wondered if donation meant food bank, but Erek pulled out a cloth bag. It was soaked with blood.

“Do you like dogs?” Erek asked excitedly.

Cassie felt like she was going to be sick, “What is that?” she demanded.

Jake and Rachel were staring at the bag in horror, completely forgetting that they needed to be keeping their eyes open for threats.

<Dog!> Rachel shouted, <is he going to eat _us_? >

“Yeah I like dogs but I’m not gonna _eat_ one!” Marco snapped, and instantly regretted it.

Erek had been addressing them generally, not targeting them out in any way. Marco’s outburst had drawn Erek’s attention right to him. Erek looked furious, or horrified. It was hard to discern. Jake shifted, putting a hand out in front of Marco.

Erek pushed past him in a second. He’d crossed the room and was under Jake’s arm before Marco could blink. He touched Marco’s cheek gently, and Marco could see that he’d been right. Erek was _both_ emotions at once. They were flickering across his face so quickly that Erek was shaking.

“How could you _say_ such things?” Erek pleaded. His voice was the grating sound of wind whistling through canyons. It stung Marco’s ears.

Jake was frozen in shock at Erek’s speed, staring hopelessly.

“Terrible, awful things!” Erek hissed, drawing away.

“Is…” Marco was very rarely at a loss for words, but this was for sure one of those moments, “that… that’s not dog meat?” Dog meat or not… Marco felt terrible that his big mouth was what was probably going to get them all killed.

“No!” Erek shrieked.

“The pups cannot tell the smell of meat?” a voice said behind them.

The Animorphs pressed themselves back against the wall—though it felt cool and rough like tree bark. They didn’t take their eyes off of the newcomer to check what exactly it was made of.

He was wearing a human form, and just as unearthly as Erek. There was a similarity in their faces that was almost startling. Cassie gasped.

“You’re Erek’s dad?”

He smiled, though there was nothing friendly _or_ menacing about it, “To humans, yes. I play the father of Erek. Here, in our home, we are friends. Now, little vargs, will you accept our gift? It is venison,” he added, and his face twitched disapprovingly, “not _dog_.”

Marco had a sinking suspicion they did _not_ want to offend these two any more than they already had, “Yes,” he said, louder than he intended, “we’ll eat it.”

“Do you like dogs?” Erek asked again.

“I do,” Jake said, “I—I mean, yeah. I’ve got one at home.”

That seemed to calm Erek down. He looked at Cassie and Rachel expectantly.

<Say yes!> Marco snapped, just in case Rachel decided to be honest.

“Yes I love dogs,” Cassie said.

Rachel grinned, “I _love_ dogs!”

<I wasn’t going to say something _stupid_ > she told Marco.

Both Erek and his ‘dad’—Mr. King—were actually smiling. They were practically glowing.

“Then come,” Mr. King said, “I fear there is much talk to come, and you are starving.”

<We can still run,> Jake reminded them all, <if we need to bail now is the time.>

<Dude there is no _way_ we will make it to the front door before we are dripping through bags, > Marco snapped.

<I think we can trust them that that’s not dog meat,> Cassie said, <I think they’re not human, and we need to remember that. But they’re willing to help us.>

<I can take them. I’ll protect all of you,> Rachel growled. Cassie could hear the wobble in her voice that meant she was bluffing.

“Okay,” Jake said, “lead the way.”

They went back to where Erek had come from. It was the stairs to the basement. The bottom was black—impossibly black. Their eyes couldn’t penetrate the darkness.

“What’s down there?” Rachel asked.

“It’s quite safe,” Erek said, “we keep the dogs down there.”

Marco didn’t like being insulted, “We’re not dogs!”

Mr. King and Erek looked surprised, “Of course not!” Erek said.

His father started laughing, “Oh my, I do believe there is a mix-up. We do not plan on keeping you, little wolves. Unless you wish to stay. We may speak freely down here. It’s very safe and you may leave at any time.”

Jake didn’t feel any better about going into that darkness.

“We want you to come down,” Erek said softly, “and do you really have a choice?”

They didn’t. Even if Erek and his father were lying, if the werewolves tried to run they would be caught. There was no way they could leave unless they were allowed to.

“Okay,” Rachel said, and she took the lead. The werewolves descended first, with Jake in the rear. Erek and Mr. King followed, hefting the heavy sack of meat behind them.

Rachel was ready to walk into the darkness, to where not even her eyes could pierce the shadows, when the floor disappeared from under her.

“AHH!” she screamed.

Cassie wheeled on the edge of _emptiness_ , but Marco was stepping down and knocked into her and they tumbled down together.

“What’s going on?” Jake whirled around to face the creatures behind him but Erek laughed and, grabbing Jake by the arm, leapt into the void.

 

It was a grassy meadow, on the edge of a thriving forest. The sun was shining brightly, warmer than it had been outside, and the blue of the sky was slightly too purple to be normal.

There were dogs _everywhere_. Big ones, small ones, Puppies, old and grey dogs. Shaggy dogs and skinny dogs. Cassie’s parents were vets and she’d never seen this many dogs in her _life_. Out in the distance on the edge of what looked like a forest were more people—though she assumed they were probably like Erek.

The dogs ran up to them, tongues out and tails wagging. The breeze changed direction, blowing their scent towards them, and instantly the dogs shrank back, watching the werewolves nervously.

Erek and Mr. King looked delighted. Jake was standing beside them, looking terrified.

Above them was a swirling… _something_. It looked like a slice of a tornado: blues, reds and purples and gray all mixed in even though there weren’t any colors at all.

The dogs were nervously moving around the werewolves and towards Erek and Mr. King, though Jake’s presence was keeping them back.

Mr. King moved forwards to reach out and kneel in front of the dogs. They swarmed him, looking for petting and scratches. He laughed, and while it sent chills down the werewolves’ spines, it also had a note of joy in it that they could understand. They could see intangible _things_ around Mr. King and wondered if they were part of his true form.

“They _really_ like dogs,” Rachel muttered.

Erek laid out the sack of meat, and gestured proudly to Jake and the others.

“Eat to your hearts content, we will let you choose before the dogs.”

Marco had a retort but Cassie cut him off, “Thank you,” she said graciously.

<This is a huge honor, don’t you get it?> she said, <they might _worship_ dogs and they’re letting us eat first. >

<They’re not going to cook it are they,> Jake realized.

<Well they like dogs,> Marco said, <lets give them some _real_ mutts. > He started stripping down to his morphing clothes and he closed his eyes to concentrate on changing as he kicked his pants off. His stomach lurched and Marco suddenly thought he might be sick, and the change wouldn’t come. Jake gave him a confused look. Marco flashed a grin, and tried again. His fur started growing quickly this time.

Cassie and Rachel followed suit, growing and cracking and creaking. Jake held back nervously, but then pulled off his shirt and started changing.

<I promise not to look,> Rachel laughed, <but no promises for Cassie.>

<Knock it off!> Jake snapped, though his voice held no real anger. He moved out of the way to pull off his pants as the three half-wolves moved towards the meat. Their mouths were watering. It smelled similar to their first hunt together.

<I should be _so_ grossed out by this, > Rachel muttered, and then pulled a large chunk of meat from the pile.

<So much for that vegetarian diet,> Cassie murmured.

Erek looked so delighted at them he could cry. Mr. King wasn’t too far off.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New year to all my lovely readers! Sorry for the delay, life got in the way and there are still several scenes I'm having to rewrite and new ones to add in, which calls for more rewriting in other areas, so it's set me back a bit. I hope to be back to weekly updates soon.
> 
> Enjoy!

Once all four wolves were settled, eating their meat, the questions could finally begin.

<What are you?> Cassie asked.

<How do you know about the Yeerks?> Jake said at the same time.

Erek hummed softly to himself, “We… we lost our names a long time ago. At least the name of our kind. The first name. We were given a new name, reborn into what we are now. We are the Chee.”

<Does that make sense?> Rachel asked privately.

<Shh, just listen,> Jake reminded her.

“We are of the fae, though we are much older than the creatures who came here after the separation of Earth and Otherworld.”

“I suppose they call us the Elder Earthside Fae,” Mr. King said.

<Fae… like faeries? Are you magical?>  Rachel asked.

“Some of us have the gift,” Erek nodded, “the song does come easier to our kind than to others.”

<How do you know about the Yeerks?> Jake asked again.

“Many creatures from the Otherworld stumble through the portals, seeking new life here on Earth. We like to watch them, see what they do and hear what they know. We have encountered Andalites—we like to hear of things in the world. They are entertaining.”

<They told you about the yeerks?>

“Yes.”

Rachel jumped to her feet, <You _know_ about them but you won’t fight? What’s wrong with you? >

Erek’s face clouded over, “We cannot.” There was a faint sound in the air like the hissing of a boiling kettle.

<What do you mean can’t? Can’t or won’t?> Marco growled, <because since you aren’t going to help _we_ have to put our lives on the line! Do you know how many people have died? You could end this war and you’re letting the entire earth get enslaved! >

“We cannot fight!” Erek shouted, a crack of thunder and chorus of birds that made the wolves all flatten their ears and shrink back, “we made a pact!”

A small dog crawled into his lap and he cooed and held it to his chest, “An ancient pact,” he whispered, “with love itself. We can do no harm to another living creature.”

<Oh,> Cassie said softly, <that’s beautiful.>

<You can’t help us,> Jake growled.

“Not in battle, and not in any way that would force us to harm anyone. But… the Yeerks _kill_ dogs. We would like to see them destroyed.”

“Erek!” Mr. King snapped.

Erek let out a long breath, “ _I_ would care to see them destroyed.”

<Why would you do such a thing?> Rachel asked. She settled down next to Cassie and licked the blood off of her paws, careful to avoid cutting her tongue on her claws.

“As I said… it was for love. They were our better halves… our masters. In your tongue their name would be Pemalite. For they so loved the world they longed to rid it of all pain and suffering and bloodshed. It was with them we made a pact that cannot be broken.”

<Where are they now?> Cassie asked. She liked the idea of a race that wanted peace and love.

Erek held the dog close to himself, “They were slaughtered. It is a dark tale and I do not wish to dwell on it. But every last one is gone… the essence of the last Pemalite, as they lay dying, was eaten by a wolf who was living with humans.” He smiled fondly down at the dog.

Cassie’s ears came up, <And they became _dogs_! >

“Dogs are love,” Erek said as if it were a proper answer.

<Humans are going to go the way of the Pemalites if we don’t get some help,> Marco muttered.

“The Little Varg is right,” Erek agreed, “but you came for answers, not for my stories. Ask me what you may, and I will do my best to tell you. I am no Andalite but I have spoken with many who came through the portals.”

<First off,> Marco said, <what does varg mean? You keep calling me that.>

Erek looked shocked, “My… your alpha did not teach you much at all.”

<He only had time to warn us of the Yeerks,> Jake said curtly.

“Varg is the formal word for wolf—it is part of your language,” Erek explained.

<It’s not _our_ language, > Marco muttered, <we’re not real werewolves. We’re human.>

“Are you?” Erek asked, eyes twinkling. He looked at the four wolves staring back at him.

<Is there any cure?> Marco asked after a moment. He felt incredibly ungainly with his large paws and crossed, then uncrossed them, while waiting for a reply.

Erek shook his head, very human for an instant, “No. As far as I am aware you are werewolves now and you shall be for ever. But celebrate! You now have the ability to be closer to dogs than I shall ever be.”

No cure. They had all known, abstractly, that there wouldn’t be a way to go back to normal. They still longed for it though. A reset button. Some way to undo the nightmare that had been the last two weeks of their lives.

<We…> Jake sounded strained, admitting this to a stranger, <we don’t know anything. About what we are or what we’re becoming. Tell us everything.>

“I am afraid we have only met in passing with roaming Andalites. I do not have much knowledge to pass onto you. Only what we have heard over the years and how much of it is rumor I do not know,” Erek’s face didn’t change, no signs of sadness, but Cassie thought she could detect a tone of regret, “but before we begin I must give my condolences for the loss of your Alpha. I have heard the bond between a pack is strong. Now tell me what your Alpha has told you and I will see if I can help.”

All four werewolves growled.

Jake shook his head, <Elfangor had time to warn us about the Yeerks, that was it. He didn’t give us any more.>

<He was too busy chewing us up,> Marco grumbled.

“You do not seem troubled by Elfangor’s death,” Mr. King said quietly.

<It was awful… _how_ he died. But he attacked us, > Jake said, <it’s bad but I feel like he kinda deserved it.>

<He did,> Rachel growled, looking at her friends protectively.

Erek and Mr. King looked genuinely upset and horrified.

“Little ones,” Erek said, “you did not agree to this?”

<No,> Cassie said softly, <we didn’t.>

“I’m so sorry,” Erek said, “I did not know. It was cruel, what Elfangor did to you, but understandable.”

<What?> Rachel snarled.

“Werewolves are known for being slaves to their emotions and instincts. It is why your kind is widely feared—you are rational but animals at the same time. You are also pack creatures, centered around an Alpha. Elfangor was probably out of his mind with loneliness and grief.”

<Everyone keeps mentioning an Alpha,” Cassie said thoughtfully, <like it’s really important. Do werewolf packs act different than normal wolf packs?>

Erek nodded, “The Alpha is the only one who can pass along the bite, and they exist to maintain pack order and peace. If there are disagreements in a pack it is the Alpha’s duty to sort them out. If a wolf wishes to join the pack, the Alpha must let them in. A pack is built around an Alpha and werewolves without an Alpha are not a pack at all. The Alpha is not necessarily the strongest wolf, but the one that all of the other wolves trust with their lives. It is not easy to be Alpha, for they must protect their pack, even at the cost of their own life. Nor is it possible for an Alpha to harm anyone in their pack, for they will be driven mad or killed by the pack themselves, so we are told.”

<So why would anyone want to be Alpha? It sounds like a lot of pressure and hard work> Jake asked.

“There is power in being Alpha, and a bond unlike any other with the pack,” Erek said, “for the Alpha, given in the trust of the pack, has the ability to take on the strength of their entire pack in their own body. An Alpha enraged is a terrifying, unstoppable force. It is why the Visser must never gain a pack for he will be too powerful to defeat then.

“And,” Erek said softly, “with the power of the Alpha comes the strength over the very packs souls. An Alpha may command the pack to obey them, even if the pack does not want to they _must_ obey.”

The wolves all shuddered.

<What about free will?> Cassie demanded, <no one would ever want to give up that much control of themselves!>

Erek shrugged, shockingly human in the movement, “It stabilizes the wolves. With an Alpha keeping them in check, the wolves can remain balanced and not lose themselves to their wild emotions. That is why I think Elfangor was not in his right mind at all.

“His whole pack was slaughtered, you said? That is traumatic, at best, for a wolf. Imagine losing each other and being alone, after feeling one another die,” Erek said, “Elfangor was frightened and angry and in desperate need to soothe the ache in his soul. Not that you children would have been able to replace his pack mates, but you would be a start. An Alpha suddenly without a pack is mad until they have someone to care for again.”

<You said something about losing ourselves without an Alpha… is that like turning into a wolf—full wolf—and running away into the woods? Forgetting you’re human?> Marco asked.

Erek’s hand stilled, and he glanced at Mr. King.

“Nothlit,” Mr. King said softly, “one of you has become a nothlit already?”

The wolves growled uneasily.

<Do you know anything about Tobias?> Rachel sat up quickly, <he—he turned into a wolf, and ran away! We don’t know where he is and he won’t talk to us.>

Cassie nodded, <He’s acting like a real wolf now. How do we get him back? Do we need an Alpha?>

<Is that going to happen to us?> Marco asked.

Erek was in front of him suddenly, and he stroked his dark fur sadly, “There is no rescue once a wolf becomes a nothlit. They are trapped for ever with no concept of who they truly are. It is the curse of the werewolves—for while you may have one mind, you cannot forget that all three bodies are yours. Nothlits hate a part of themselves so much they long to be anything but that body.”

Rachel whined, but barred her teeth in horror.

<That’s awful,> Cassie whimpered.

<How come it happened to him?> Marco demanded, thinking about his trouble changing earlier and feeling a knot of dread in his stomach, <he was acting weird about changing right away. None of us are acting like that—are we safe?>

Erek shook his head, “Some are not meant for the bite. It is disorienting, I have heard, to be three bodies at once. But unless you make a pack you will not be safe. In a pack, at least, there is an Alpha who can stop a wolf before they lose themselves.”

Jake shook his head immediately, <We won’t have an alpha. That’s a terrible thing—someone who can control our very souls? We’re human, not animals. We don’t need a master.> He barred his teeth in a snarl, though who he was snarling at was unknown.  

<How could Elfangor be an alpha without a pack?> Marco asked suddenly, <if he’s the Alpha of a pack? If they’re all dead, then how could he be an Alpha of nothing?>

“Likely he wasn’t the Alpha at all—Elfangor was a Prince, if I remember correctly. The Great Prince Elfangor,” Erek said, “Princes are wolves more suited for leadership. While an Alpha has the strength and power of the pack, they are not always best to lead. A Prince acts as leader if the Alpha cannot lead in battle. Often they are one and the same, but Elfangor was the Prince of his pack. When the Alpha is killed, the bond is transferred to the wolf who the pack feels would make the best Alpha. If a pack is wiped out, and only one remains, then they would be a very lonely and desperate Alpha. That is why Elfangor was forced to recruit you children rather than scout for better potential.”

<And look where it got him,> Rachel muttered. She felt very ashamed suddenly, and wondered if she hadn’t been so willing to try and help, would they still be in this mess? Would Tobias have lost himself forever? Would they be risking the same fate?

<When will more Andalites come?> Marco asked, <how do we get in touch with them?>

“You can’t,” Erek said simply, “the Yeerks now hold all of the Earthside portals, and with this recent tragedy the Andalites may stop coming through and leave Earthside to them. The Yeerks will kill all Andalites that try to enter anyways. You children are on your own.”

He’d moved to sit beside Marco and was running his fingers through Marco’s fur idly. Marco hated to admit that he liked the feeling.

Jake got onto his feet and shook his fur out, <Is that all you can tell us?>

“I believe so, for now. But you are free to stay here,” Erek said, “you are always welcome.”

He was especially warm to them, looking at their dog-like features. Marco wondered if he would ask them to stay as wolves the whole time.

<You could sense us,> Cassie said suddenly, <can the Yeerks?>

“If they are attuned to the auras in this world, then yes,” Erek said.

<We can’t let them know,> Marco said, <how can we hide?> He hated admitting that they were hiding, but it was better than being dead. He had his father to look after.

“Don’t do anything to draw attention to yourselves,” Mr. King offered, “werewolves are emotional creatures—keep an eye on one another. If you grow overwhelmed you may do something irrational. In the meantime… we may be able to divine some runes to mask your auras.”

<That sounds entirely over my head. You can do _what_? > Rachel asked.

“Magic,” Erek simplified.

Some other Chee—all wearing human disguises—had sat in a circle around them to watch the wolves. Jake felt some touches to his tail—wet, and almost so cold they were hot, or just the opposite—but they didn’t hurt so much as startle him, so he didn’t turn around to see what it was. He felt he might be better off not knowing.

<Magic? How does it work?> Cassie had all of her attention on Erek. Marco snorted and was showing his teeth as if he was laughing at the idea of magic.

“I can show you,” Erek said, “but it is unlikely you will be able to perform any. Werewolves used to be in tune with the Song, but it is a rare gift now. Even rarer are any Earthside creatures being aware of it, and man became deaf to it long ago.”

<Oh,> Cassie’s ears drooped for a moment, <but… it would be interesting. To see it at least.>

<Can we use magic to fight the Yeerks?> Rachel asked, <because they had weapons—those lasers that they were shooting at us. I want something like that!>

“Dracon beams,” Erek’s lips curled in disgust. The Chee around them mumbled angrily, like bones snapping or leaves crunching underfoot.

“We cannot teach you that magic,” Mr. King said, “Our pact will not allow it. Besides—it is extremely unlikely you will be able to yield magic at all.”

<But would it help us to learn what we can?> Jake asked. He was thinking of all the things they didn’t know, and how much they didn’t even _realize_ they didn’t know.

“We can try some lessons,” Erek said, “but not now. Not while you are young and unbalanced.”

<If you want to wait a few years we’ll probably be _dead_ >, Marco growled.

Erek patted Marco’s head, “I meant no offense, Little Varg. I was implying you are still so new to being a werewolf—any magic you might be able to touch will be chaotic and difficult to control. We have to wait for your bodies to be at peace.”

Marco snorted but didn’t reply.

Rachel glanced around—the field seemed to go on forever around them, <How… how do we get out of here?>

Mr. King pointed to the swirling vortex that hung over their heads, “The same way we entered, of course. All you need to do is jump… with a little intent.”

The wolves all got to their feet and curiously wandered to the spot where they had first fallen in. Jake busied himself gathering everyone’s clothing without ripping anything with his claws.

<You said that Elfangor was only the alpha because he was the last wolf left of his pack?> Cassie asked suddenly, <is it even possible to be an Alpha when there isn’t anyone else?>

Erek seemed surprised, “As I said before, I do not know much of werewolves. Elfangor had the powers of an Alpha, that much is certain. How, I do not know.”

<Okay,> Cassie nodded, and lifted her muzzle to the sky, <so I just jump?>

“And think of the stairs we were walking down,” Mr. King added helpfully.

<This is insane,> Marco said privately to the pack. Feeling rather foolish, they jumped.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay- life and school has kept me pretty busy. I've nearly finished writing the entire book (this part) and so now I'm down to a lot of editing and rewriting, which is a pain in the ass so forgive me because it'll take me some time.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this update, and I hope to have another one up soon!

One thing they didn’t take into account was how _small_ the staircase would be with four large werewolves pressed up against one another.

<Somebody better start changing,> Rachel growled, <before I get crushed.>

<I hate to remind you but of everyone here, you and Jake are the giants,> Marco muttered from somewhere underneath her.

No one changed right away. There was something comforting— like the night they’d spent in the woods while looking for Tobias, and the times they’d been together— it was calming and soothing. Jake wanted to have a nap right there, surrounded by his friends. The light from the top of the stairs and the comforting darkness around them made Cassie think of a den.

<Okay,> Cassie finally said, <we should get moving.>

She struggled out from the pile of werewolves and pulled herself up the stairs. They were a little awkward with her long limbs and large paws, and she tried morphing back to human as she moved, except she felt like she was swimming through molasses. The others struggled up after her. They were beginning to creak and groan as they changed, but they were all slower than they had been before.

<What’s going on? Why can’t I change?> Rachel asked.

<Is this what… Tobias was like this,> Jake said quietly.

A wave of panic rolled over all of them and Marco started whining in fear.

<I can’t get stuck! I can’t! I won’t!> he cried.

Cassie’s human features had finally emerged. Her heart was racing in terror, but she moved forwards to put her hands on Marco’s muzzle.

“Marco look at me, just focus on who you are. You’re human, remember? Think about what you look like—”

<I’m going to lose myself! I’m going to become a wild animal,> he whimpered.

“Ssshhh,” she stroked the fur on his face, “don’t think about that. Let the fear go—you’re Marco and you are human. It’s going to be okay.”

Rachel and Jake were finally mostly human, and they steadied each other on their shaky legs before Jake came over to stand by Cassie.

Marco was shaking and burst into tears by the time he was fully human again.

“That’s it—I’m out!” he shouted, “I won’t ever morph again!”

 “You’re just going to give up on the human race like that?” Rachel snapped. She was putting on her shoes, but having trouble with the way her hands were shaking, “because we have a duty now. We have to save them!”

Marco stormed towards the door, desperate for direct sunlight, “If every time we change we get closer to being Tobias— then no thanks! I won’t do it!”

“How can you say that?” Rachel shouted.

“You can be the hero, Rachel, I won’t stop you!” Marco’s turned to face her and his eyes were wet with fresh tears, “but I _have_ to take care of my dad! He won’t survive losing me and my mom! Okay?”

“We’re all scared right now,” Cassie said softly, guiding Jake and Rachel to the door with her, <But let’s get out of this house before we embarrass ourselves in front of the King’s.>

<Some allies they are,> Rachel growled, <they won’t even fight.> She realized her claws had started growing and covered her hands in shame of losing control. It was difficult to calm herself down enough to return them to human shapes. By that time they were already down the block.

“Let’s go back to the school,” Jake said, “we can split from there.” No one disagreed, or made any vocal agreement. They were quiet up until the school came back into view.

“I think we need to search the woods again,” Cassie said suddenly.

“To look for Tobias?” Rachel asked, “did you see him?”

Cassie shook her head, “No, not for Tobias— I mean, obviously we can look for him. But…” she bit her lip.

“What are you thinking?” Jake asked. His voice was calm and tender, prompting her to speak.

She took a deep breath, “I think there’s still another werewolf out there. Part of Elfangor’s pack—that’s why he was an Alpha and could give us the bite.”

“You think so?” Jake asked, though he sounded like he believed her entirely.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “I’ve been hearing wolves in the mountains a bit too—and I don’t know if it’s Tobias or not but if there is another werewolf I think that’s where they’d go.”

“So we go find them and they can tell us more!” Rachel grinned.

“You guys are missing a huge flaw here,” Marco said quickly.

They all fell silent and waited for him to continue.

“If Elfangor was the Alpha, and he’s dead—what if this other werewolf is the Alpha now? _Our_ Alpha?”

They all shuddered.

“No,” Cassie said quietly, “I mean, we could feel Elfangor. When he was alive—we could feel him like we feel each other. Can you guys feel anyone else?”

“I won’t let some jerk of a werewolf control me,” Rachel snarled.

“Erek said that Alpha’s get their power from their pack,” Jake said, “if we meet another werewolf, they are _not_ one of us. If we don’t give them any power they can’t hold any power over us.”

“You really believe that?” Marco asked skeptically.

Jake didn’t reply.

 

Rachel was starving as she entered her home. She kicked off her shoes, tossed her bag down the hall towards the stairs, and made a beeline straight for the fridge. She’d never been so consistently hungry in her life, but that’s what morphing was doing to her. Thankfully her mother hadn’t been home enough to notice Rachel’s weight gain, but Rachel was finding that she was losing that every time she morphed so hopefully it wouldn’t be an issue. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the definition in her arms. The new muscle was making her look too beefy.

On the other hand, now she didn’t really have to waste time working out to stay in shape.

She’d distracted herself from thinking about the Chee, Tobias and trying to find another werewolf in the woods by focusing on exactly what she was going to eat. There was a box of Szechuan shrimp that she’d remembered from last week somewhere in the fridge, and after that she was going to make herself a peanut butter and banana sandwich. If she wasn’t full after that there was a frozen pizza in the freezer that she could cook and then when Mom got home it would look like she was feeding her sisters too. It was full proof, and then once she was full Rachel could go back to worrying about all the messed up stuff happening to her. There was only one thing wrong with her plan: she couldn’t find the shrimp.

Rachel shoved the entire contents of one shelf to the side—sending the jar of mayo crashing to the floor. Her leftovers should be on the middle shelf. She crouched down, a flutter of panic in her chest. Maybe it had been moved to the bottom shelf? Even as she dug past the egg carton, the leftover pasta from two days ago and the bell peppers that were starting to go brown, she didn’t see anything.

One last attempt. Rachel jumped to her feet and went through the top shelf, pulling the milk carton out and nearly throwing it onto the counter. She knocked the hummus and mustard off in her panic. Rachel realized her leftovers weren’t in the fridge. Someone had taken them. Her hands were shaking and she felt bolts of adrenaline running through her. How could this happen? Why would anyone do this? Her eyes were filling with unshed tears and she took a ragged breath to try and calm herself. Who would steal her food?

“JORDAN!” Rachel screamed, “Jordan you little thief!”

“What?” Jordan shouted back, and Rachel heard the thump-thump of her pounding down the stairs, “I didn’t do anything!” she announced as she walked into the kitchen.

Rachel tried to slam the fridge door shut for effect, but it bounced off of everything she’d knocked around and hit her in the hip.

“Rachel what are you doing? Are you actually cleaning right now?” Jordan asked.

Rachel stormed forwards with a snarl and stuck her finger in Jordan’s face, "You! You ate my Szechuan shrimp! I was saving it. I want it. I want it right now!"

Rachel was so angry she wanted to shake her sister until she cried. Jordan hardly looked impressed.

She rolled her eyes, crossed her arms across her chest and said, “Rachel, I took your stupid shrimp yesterday. And I threw it out.”

“What?” Rachel shrieked. She was considering strangling Jordan now, “why would you do that? You’re always taking my leftovers!”

Jordan let out a disgusted sigh and swatted Rachel’s hand out of her face, “It was already a week old, _duh_. It would have made you barf up your kidneys, _duh_. You should really be thanking me. And did I mention, _duh_?”

“You should’ve asked,” Rachel hissed. Her skin felt tight, and she was burning up from the inside. Her bones began to shift—like she was morphing—and Rachel snatched her hand close to her body when she realized her claws were growing out. She screwed her eyes shut and focused on calming down.

“Okay Rachel,” Jordan snapped, “should I have thrown out your rancid, smelly, moldy leftovers like Mom asked or should I have left them so you could eat them and then get your stomach pumped?”

“Fine,” Rachel growled, “get out of my face.”

Jordan threw her arms up in frustration, but turned to go back upstairs, “Whatever. You called me down here—and I hope you plan on cleaning all that up. I can’t believe you’re so emotional over stupid shrimp.”

Jordan went back upstairs and Rachel crouched down beside the fridge. She was shaking with rage— and with fear too. Jordan was right. It was just shrimp. There was plenty of food for her to eat. Why had Rachel gone into such a fit? Why had she started morphing when her _sister_ was in the room?

Rachel held up her hands, looking them over. No claws. She took a deep breath, held it, and then let it out slowly. And another. And another. She needed to calm down.

Rachel knew she could be quick to anger, but usually she was reasonable. This rage was unlike anything she’d ever felt before. She’d wanted to attack her sister, to hurt her… maybe kill her.

Rachel felt sick at the thought of eating now, but her stomach was cramping. She shoved everything back into the fridge and made herself a sandwich. She ate alone in her room, slowly, careful not to wolf it down.

 

Jake and Marco were late arriving the next day, riding their bikes up the trails in the woods. Rachel and Cassie had just finished sharing a sandwich they’d brought from Cassie’s house. Rachel had her eyes on the woods—she didn’t like the idea of another werewolf out there and was determined to protect her friends, even if it meant killing again.

“How do we want to do this?” Jake asked, “split up to cover more ground?”

“I am not going alone to find another werewolf-- if he’s as big as Elfangor or Visser Three we are screwed,” Marco said.

“Don’t worry Marco,” Rachel laughed, “I’ll look after you.”

Marco laughed, but he was remembering the joy that Rachel had taken in their fight in the Yeerk Pool and it scared him.

“We should stay together—at least close enough that we can all be in touch,” Cassie said, “our… thought speech goes for a fair amount of distance, I say we fan out, but always stay in touch with the others.”

Jake nodded, “That sounds great. Where should we start, Cassie?”

“Better question,” Marco cut Cassie off, “what are we going to do if we actually _do_ find a werewolf?”

“We can talk to him, all we need are answers, right? And since we can be werewolves too he’ll want to talk to us,” Cassie said, “he’s probably alone and afraid without a pack.”

“I wouldn’t mind if we had to rough him up a bit,” Rachel said, “but we do need a plan if he doesn’t cooperate. Are we going to fight him?”

“I don’t want to make any more enemies then we have to,” Jake said.

“I don’t want another Elfangor,” Marco shuddered.

Rachel crossed her arms across her chest, “It won’t be Elfangor again. We’re stronger now.”

Jake shook his head, “That doesn’t mean we have to fight— should we have a signal?”

“But who would call the signal? Because let’s be honest— Rachel’s too aggressive, and Cassie will never say we should fight until it’s too late.”

“So you boys are better?” Rachel snarled.

“Let me finish,” Marco rolled his eyes, “I’m not one for fights myself and I’d rather run away from one— so I’d probably be too trigger happy. I’m not saying you’re our best choice Jake, because you can be awfully dense, but I think you should be the one to call things if they get hairy,” Marco looked thoughtful for a minute and then added, “pun intended.”

Jake took a nervous step back, “Oh no, I’m really not comfortable telling anyone what to do.”

“You aren’t telling us what to do. You’re assessing the situation in case we need someone to make the call for us,” Marco insisted.

Jake shook his head, “No, you or Cassie should do that. I’m not good at reading people— what if I make the wrong call?”

“You did okay in the Yeerk Pool,” Cassie said, “Jake you made sure we all got out.”

Rachel nodded, “Yeah. You were making all the calls that night— and did you hear any of us complain?”

“But I didn’t get Tom— or anyone else— out,” Jake added.

“We’re alive, and you even took on Visser Three. I’d call that reason enough to let you take lead on this one,” Marco said.

“Besides,” Rachel added, “just consider this a trial run for now. It’s four of us on one dog.”

No one pointed out the obvious that the four of them had fought the Visser and barely escaped alive.

“Okay,” Jake sighed dejectedly, “let’s get going. Stay in touch with each other and let us know if you find anything weird.”

“Or if you start feeling weird,” Cassie added, “if you feel like… like you’re losing yourself. Then we’ll stop and we’ll help you.”

They all felt too scared to start morphing. Rachel pushed through her fear and the cracking of her bones startled them all into action.

“And don’t forget,” she said as her features began to change, “keep an eye out for Tobias. I don’t care what the Chee said— we’re going to find a way to save him.”

  
  


Cassie had forgotten the joy of running through the woods. There was no way to justify the power and ease she felt that could relate to any human experience. She wasn’t just home, where she belonged, she was the master of this environment and everything about her was attuned to nature. She flew through the woods, mindful of the others to her left and right, and couldn’t help but let out a howl of excitement at the feeling of running with a pack. Rachel howled to her left in agreement.

<Ladies, don’t forget we’re on a covert mission,> Marco said, but his tone was extremely fond and it made Cassie want to laugh.

Rachel and Jake were on the sides, with Cassie and Marco in the middle. Cassie grappled to control her wolf mind, and put her nose to work. She felt hungry enough to eat again, and had to force herself to ignore the scent of prey and focus on what didn’t belong.

Many different animals had crossed through here— and with a pang of guilt Cassie detected Tobias’ stale scent. She’d wondered how far he would wander as a lone wolf, if he would look for a pack, but he seemed to be in the area still. The scent was too old to have any hope they might see him, but she decided she would come out soon to try and find him again.

<I’m not getting anything,> Jake said, and he sounded a little faint from the distance, <do we even know what we’re looking for?>

<You’ll know it,> Cassie said, sniffing around a fallen tree, <like with each other— we know our scents and we still know Tobias’. You’ll know an intruder when you smell it.>

<Intruder,> Rachel laughed, <makes it sound like this is our territory.>

<Isn’t it?> Cassie asked, <we are wolves and these are our woods.>

<No, we aren’t wolves. We’re idiot kids with hair problems that are in over our heads,> Marco snapped, awfully angry all of a sudden, <just because I can turn into a wolf doesn’t mean I want to be one. I’m human. I’m a boy— I’m _me_ and I won’t be an animal. >

<What a baby,> Rachel said privately to Cassie.

Cassie didn’t think he was wrong, and she felt bad for suggesting the idea in the first place. Marco was probably right. She wasn’t a wolf, she was a human and she needed to stop thinking like a wolf—

Or maybe she did.

<A cave!> Cassie shouted, <a wolf needs a den, especially if it’s someone who can be human. They’ll want shelter. If we head further into the mountain we should start to find some good places.>

<Running water,> Jake added helpfully, <they’ll want fresh water nearby, too. Good idea Cassie.>

Cassie took off running. She failed to stop and scent, to check for any sign of another werewolf, and because of that she missed the markers that would have told her she was running past someone else’s’ scent markers.

A dark shape rushed at her, and Cassie turned to spring away but there were fangs at her throat and she was winded, belly up, on the ground.

Cassie’s heart stopped, because as she craned her neck to look into her attackers face she looked right into bright green eyes.

Elfangor’s eyes.

 


	7. Chapter 7

<Who are you?> Elfangor snarled.

Cassie felt his fangs in her fur and she screamed, <Jake! Rachel! Help!>

<Did the Yeerks send you?> Elfangor continued, <if I see another wolf I’ll rip out your throat!>

Cassie had been stunned with fear, and while panic still seized her body, her rational mind was returning and she was making sense of her reality. This couldn’t be Elfangor—she’d seen him die. This wolf was smaller too—still bigger than her—but Cassie was used to being smaller. The Visser had known they were young from their size—did this mean that this wolf was young, like them?

<I can’t give you my name,> she said sternly, <it’s too dangerous.>

<Cassie! Cassie! We’re coming!> the others were shouting.

<Hold on,> she told them, quickly, <I found him. Let me talk to him first.>

She didn’t add that he had her by the neck. She was hoping the thick fur around her throat would provide a little protection before she could morph away the injury.

<My pack has you surrounded,> Cassie continued, <but I’ve told them to hold back.>

<What are you doing here?> the stranger flexed his jaws, as if he thought Cassie might have forgotten the dangerous situation she was in, <I do not know your scent. You are newborn—who made you?>

<We were looking for you. We knew there was another werewolf in the area—and we need answers,> Cassie debated her options, straining to look at the fine muzzle, green eyes and white sock that screamed Elfangor to her, and decided to take a chance, <Elfangor made us.>

The stranger released Cassie and hopped away immediately. His tail was wagging and his ears were pressed forwards like he was desperate to hear every word she was saying, even though she wasn’t saying them out loud, <Elfangor?> he cried excitedly, <he lives? He’s made a new pack! Ha! I knew the Yeerks could not stop the mighty Elfangor! Where is he? Is he here?>

All of the animosity Cassie had for this other werewolf faded in an instant. She remained where she was, curled up on the ground, and wanted to bury her head in a hole. She didn’t want to be the one to tell him about Elfangor’s fate—maybe she should call Jake or Rachel or Marco. They were all braver than she was.

Then again—if they wanted this werewolf to agree with them, Cassie should be the one to tell him. And she felt she owed it to him—before the others came in.

<Cassie what’s going on?> Jake demanded.

<I’m coming!> Rachel growled, <I don’t want you to be alone!>

Cassie lifted her head slowly, <I’m fine. It’s okay… I… I have to tell him about Elfangor. Give me some time, okay?>

<Cassie don’t do anything stupid just to be kind,> Marco said, <remember what Elfangor did to us.>

<We’re staying close,> Jake told her, <if _anything_ happens just call. We’ll protect you. >

The other werewolf’s tail had come up and he was glancing around the woods, <Elfangor is not here… is he? What does your pack want?> he sounded guarded and nervous again. Cassie had been silent too long.

She pushed herself into a sitting position, <We need information, and some answers.>

<I cannot tell you anything Elfangor would not already know,> the other werewolf said, but there was a defeat in his voice that meant he was putting clues together. Elfangor wasn’t here for a reason.

<Come sit by me,> Cassie said softly, <I have bad news.>

The werewolf seemed nervous, but slowly padded over. She wasn’t good at reading expressions on wolf faces—but his eyes looked sad beyond compare and his tail had dropped down between his legs. He sat closer than Cassie was comfortable with, pressed against her side like he wanted to feel the warmth from her fur.

<Tell me,> he sounded ragged, all enthusiasm lost, <Elfangor is dead? Tell me how it happened.>

Cassie still had nightmares about that night—about Elfangor pinning her like she was a fly and biting her. When she’d thought he was going to kill all of them and how the terror hadn’t ended, how it was still in her chest and stomach every time she let herself feel it. She spoke slowly, and carefully, trying not to betray how often she woke up crying, thinking about Elfangor’s jaws tearing out her throat. The werewolf whined loudly, pawing at the dirt like he had so many emotions he couldn’t contain himself. When she finished he threw back his head and let out a long howl.

There was loud crashing through the bushes and Jake and Rachel leapt out of the trees, tails and hackles raised and ready for a fight. Marco stepped out a moment later, never taking his eyes off of the newcomer.

<Looking cozy,> he remarked. Cassie didn’t respond.

<Are you okay?> Jake demanded.

<I’m fine,> Cassie snapped, out loud to everyone including the stranger, <I just finished telling him about Elfangor’s death. I told you not to come until I called.>

Jake looked sheepish but Rachel didn’t bother pretending, <I’ve had enough waiting. We need answers. Who are you?>

<My name is Aximili-Esggaruth-Isthil,> the werewolf said slowly, <and if what the drappa says is true—and you really are Elfangor’s pack, then I will gladly accept the duty of being your Alpha.>

Rachel ran at him, snarling. She reared to hit him across the muzzle but Aximili lunged under her blow and knocked her to the ground. He was nearly as big as she was—or bigger, it was hard to tell with Rachel’s shaggy coat—and they both snarled in each others’ faces.

Jake jumped at Aximili and the werewolf seemed to understand he couldn’t win a fight against the entire pack. He backed off Rachel, though he didn’t back down.

<We don’t need an Alpha and we would _never_ let you be ours! > Rachel snarled. She scrambled back to her feet. There was a killing threat in her snarl.

<Pack’s need an Alpha! Are you saying that one of you humans is up for the role?> the anger deflated from Aximili, though his tail remained high, <because if that is your wish, then I apologize. I did not mean to… offend. I will gladly offer my services.>

<Anyone else feel like he was pulling teeth just admitting that?> Marco asked privately, <this guy is desperate not to make enemies.>

<He should have thought about that before he attacked me!> Rachel snarled.

<You did attack him first,> Cassie pointed out.

Jake stepped forwards to draw attention to himself, <We have decided not to have an Alpha.>

Aximili looked horrified, <All packs need an Alpha—you don’t know what you’re doing!>

Jake barely drew back his lips, and lifted his head so he was taller than Aximili, <We are doing our best. Now, I know,> he paused nervously, and then nodded at Cassie rather than give her name, <she told you what happened, but I don’t think she explained a very important detail to you. Elfangor attacked us—we didn’t want to become monsters. So there is no way we would ever let another werewolf have power over us. Is that understood?>

Aximili looked shocked and confused, <You… didn’t _want_ the bite? But the bite is a gift! Are you not faster and stronger? You can see in the dark and scent the wind! You have the power to fight the Yeerks! Are you not closer, stronger in bond, now than you ever could be as human? >

<Is he serious?> Rachel scoffed.

<He is,> Cassie realized, <he doesn’t understand _not_ being a werewolf. >

Jake growled and Aximili lowered his head, <Please,> the werewolf begged, <let me help you. There are many dangers for an innocent pack. You don’t know what horrors are out there.>

<The Yeerk Pool?> Marco asked, <been there, escaped that.>

Aximili’s ears came up, <That was not what I meant… but I am very impressed. That is an incredible feat—but what I speak of are the dangers of being what you are. You know how to be human—and you may think you know what it is to be a wolf. But can you be both? You _must_ have an Alpha or you are all in great danger… you know what I am referring to, do you not? >

<Nothlit,> Cassie whispered fearfully, just as Rachel growled, <Tobias.>

<I thought I scented another wolf—though the trail was fading. You have lost one already?> Aximili said.

<Yes,> Jake admitted, <how do we bring him back?>

Aximili’s hackles rose again, and he barred his teeth though it was mostly in frustration, <There is _nothing_ to be done! And that will be all of our fates unless you decide on an Alpha! >

<No there has to be a way!> Rachel stepped forwards but Jake turned to glare at her and force her back. She snarled, but stayed behind him so that she was between Aximili and Marco.

<There is _nothing_ to be done. And all of us are doomed without an Alpha, > Aximili hissed. With what looked like great difficulty he lowered himself to the ground, effectively bowing to all of them, <we are the only ones of our kind this side of the portal. Please… I beg of you to take me in. Even if I cannot be your Alpha, I can be your Prince. I can help you.>

<He’s desperate,> Marco realized, <he doesn’t have a pack either—he’s afraid of becoming a nothlit.>

Jake was looking between Aximili on the ground and his friends around them, nervous about someone bowing at his feet, <Guys?>

<How do we even accept someone into our pack,> Cassie asked, <I mean, if we don’t have an Alpha then are we really a pack?>

<We… don’t want to make any more enemies,> Jake said to Aximili, <we want information. We don’t know much about werewolves and we need to… can you help us with that?>

<Yes,> Aximili said.

Jake nodded to some stumps and fallen logs to their left, <Then let’s talk.>

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay- I'm living without internet for the summer, so it's difficult to find time to take my laptop anywhere with wifi. As these are short chapters, I think I'll try to post another one sometime this week.

<Is there any,> Cassie paused, realizing she didn’t want to use ‘cure’  in front of Aximili, because he didn’t see being a werewolf as something that would need curing, <is there any way we can become human again?>

As she expected, Aximili gave her a very confused look, cocking his head to the side and squinting at her. She noticed he didn’t make eye contact, and wondered if that was a wolf thing—normal wolves made eye contact when being aggressive—or if he was being shy.

<No—there is nothing to reverse the gift,> he said after a moment, <but I cannot imagine why you would want to.>

The five wolves were sitting in a circle. Against Jake and Rachel’s wishes, Cassie had sat beside Aximili. They were worried he might attack her, but she felt confident that he wouldn’t. At least, not right now.

<Well that’s that, then,> Marco sighed, <I’ll have to break the hearts of every girl who’s allergic to dogs.>

Rachel snorted, then looked embarrassed for having laughed at Marco’s joke.

<That seems unnecessarily cruel,> Aximili replied, and then recognition came into his eyes, and he showed his teeth, <are you referring to yourselves as _dogs_? We are no dogs! We are the true putnar! We are varg and we are above _dogs_ ,> he spat the last word as if it were an insult.

<What’s… _putnar_? We know what varg means… but not that word, > Cassie asked. The word sounded strange and clunky, even if she wasn’t saying it out loud.

Aximili seemed to relax, <Putnar is the formal word for hunter. It… to translate it properly, it has an effect of ‘brave, powerful and dangerous’. But dangerous in the sense that we are carnivores. Man is the greatest putnar. >

<I’m not really here for a language lesson,> Marco chimed in, <as interesting as it is. What I want to know is: if I stay human and stop changing, will I still become a nothlit?>

<Yes,> Aximili said gravely, <but you will be trapped in your human form, unable to become a wolf ever again.>

Marco grinned, barring all of his large white teeth, <Problem solved then. We stop morphing and we don’t have to worry about becoming like Tobias.>

Aximili shook his head, <You do not understand. Just because you cannot change bodies does not mean you are no longer a werewolf. The wolves in your minds will grow restless and yearn to run, to hunt. You will be humans with the minds of wolves clawing to get out. You will not be able to function in your society and will, in the end, go mad.>

Marco’s grin faded and he sprang to his paws, <So that’s all we get! We’re forced to become werewolves, and now all we have to look forwards to is losing our minds? You think this is some kind of gift? You’re wrong! This is the worst thing to ever happen to us!>

<You _must_ have an Alpha, > Aximili pressed, <that is the only way to save ourselves from becoming nothlits. Once we have an Alpha we can become a true pack, and live free of human weaknesses.>

 <But your Alpha controls you,> Cassie reminded Aximili, <that is not freedom.>

<The Alpha is trust,> Aximili explained, <There will always be those with power over you, who influence your decisions – wouldn't you rather  _choose_  who has that power? Wouldn't you rather choose someone you trust? The Alpha only commands of us what is needed to protect us, nothing more.>

<It’s still someone having control over me, and I’ll never let that happen.> Rachel looked ready to attack him again, but Aximili starred her down calmly—though he did not make eye contact.

<I can help you choose a proper Alpha,> Aximili said, <if you would like my help. But having an Alpha is the only way to save you from losing yourselves. I understand this is a sensitive topic, but it is very important. Another item we must discuss- where is Elfangor’s Escafil Device?>

<What?> Jake asked.

Aximili’s ears flattened against his head in fear, <The Escafil Device! If Elfangor was the last—he would have been in possession of it. If you do not have it… then I fear for us all if the Yeerks have it.>

<Why?> Cassie pressed, <what is it for?>

Aximili sighed loudly, <The portals used to cross from the Otherworld to Earth are extremely unstable. They can collapse while you are still inside of them, or take you somewhere entirely new. Some only take parts of you to Earth, or back, and sometimes you can never visit the same place twice. The Escafil Device is a way of creating a secure path—from one side to the next. They are difficult to control, and can only be used by the varg. The portals are one reason why the Yeerks have had such difficulty bringing across their armies from Otherworld. If they get their hands on one, with the Abomination in their control, they will be able to enslave Earth before they can be stopped.>

<The Abomination… that’s Visser Three, right?> Jake asked, <the werewolf controller.>

<Yes,> Aximili nodded, <the only one in existence. For which we are lucky. If there were to be only one more varg under Yeerk control then they could create a pack, and the Visser would be able to create as many new werewolves as he should like. And it would give the Abomination the power of being an Alpha, and we would have no chance of defeating him without our own.>

<So being an Alpha makes you stronger? Even if we had an Alpha, I don’t think we could beat the Visser,> Jake said, <he’s too strong.>

<Yeah,> Rachel agreed, <he kicked our butts in the Yeerk Pool.>

Aximili’s ears came up, <You have already fought the Abomination? And survived?> he sprang to his feet, tail wagging, <oh reluctant varg, you are wonderful things! Clearly I underestimated your abilities.>

The Animorphs felt strangely pleased by his praise.

<I… I do have a question,> Jake asked, <if someone is infested by a Yeerk… is there any way to save them? Besides getting them from the Yeerk Pool? I don’t know if we can go back in there again and come out alive.>

<Three days,> Aximili replied, sitting down, <the Yeerks must visit the Yeerk Pool every three days in order to feed on Kandrona Rays. If you hold a controller captive for three days, you will starve the Yeerk to death and the host will be free.>

Jake sat up straight, <Then I can save my brother?>

<If you starve the Yeerk out, then the others are sure to notice,> Aximili said quietly, <they will question why that particular Yeerk was killed, and if they discover that you are a werewolf they will capture you. If they don’t discover that they might just kill you in case you are part of some resistance.>

Jake dropped heavily onto his stomach. He was closest to Cassie, and she reached out to touch one of his forepaws. He whined quietly.

<I am sorry for your loss,> Aximili said softly, <but when we defeat the Yeerks then your brother will be freed.>

<And we can beat them, right?> Cassie asked, <more werewolves are coming?>

Aximili scuffed at the ground with a large paw, <No. I do not believe my people will be here for some time.>

<What?> Rachel snarled, <are they just _abandoning_ us? >

<Never!> Aximili growled at her, hackles up. Jake sat up to be ready to intervene, but Aximili didn’t move any closer to Rachel, <there is unrest in the Otherworld. That is where the concentration of Yeerk forces are. My— _our_ – people are fighting on the fronts of the war, to protect everyone. They cannot risk splitting now, to send forces Earthside. The portals are closed, and will remain closed so long as we do not have the Escafil device. >

<He’s really intent on the Escafil Device, isn’t he,> Marco said to all of them, excluding Aximili from their thoughts, <to open up the portals.>

<Of course he is,> Cassie said, <he needs it so he can bring more werewolves through.>

<Or Yeerks,> Marco pointed out. Everyone looked at him, stunned, <look—we don’t know _anything_ about this guy. He came through the portal Elfangor was attacked at—and survived? He’s the same size as Rachel and Jake—I call bullshit. Elfangor was really messed up from that fight, but Ax here is doing just fine. There’s something else going on that he’s not telling us and I don’t trust him. >

Aximilii was waiting patiently, glancing nervously between the four wolves while they talked. The sudden silence had made him uncomfortable.

<Would you care to hunt with me?> he asked, attempting new conversation.

<How did you survive the ambush? The one that killed the rest of your pack,> Jake asked pointedly. Marco groaned at the lack of subtlety.

 Aximili whined loudly, bowing his head, <I… I was a coward. I was not meant to be part of the patrol coming Earthside—but I desperately wanted to join the fight. I slipped in behind the rest of the patrol, following on their heels. When they were ambushed I ran into the dark—no one was watching closely enough to see a small wolf like me.>

<Why weren’t you allowed to fight?> Cassie pressed.

Aximili looked shocked as if the answer had been obvious, <I am too young. I am only an _aristh_ —a cadet. In training to become a Prince or a Warrior.>

Marco groaned, <You’re a _kid_? I know that there’s a certain amount of rebellion expected from us at this age—but a rebellion against _invading aliens_? This is way above my pay grade. >

There was a beat of silence before Rachel told him, <That wasn’t funny. And you don’t have a pay grade.>

Cassie glanced up at the setting sun, <We need to head back now,> she told the others privately, <my parents are going to wonder where I am.>

<Are you living in these woods?> Marco asked.

<I have not set up a proper territory yet,> Aximili admitted, <but the hunting is good here.>

<So we can find you again?> Marco replied, <if we come here again?>

Aximili looked upset, <You are leaving?>

<We have to go back to our families,> Jake told him, <they will wonder where we are.>

Aximili showed his teeth, but it wasn’t an aggressive snarl, <Human families are not a pack. Does it not hurt you be forced to pretend you care?>

Jake’s returning snarl was an aggressive one, <No, because they are our family. We care about them.>

Aximili lowered himself to the ground again, effectively dropping the conversation, <I will remain in these woods.>

Jake got to his feet, feeling suddenly powerful at the response he’d gotten from Aximili, <You can stay here,> he told the werewolf, <but you cannot go near any humans here. If I discover you did…> Jake trailed off suddenly because he wasn’t sure what he would do. He just wanted to make sure Cassie and her family would be safe.

<I promise,> Aximili said, <I will avoid the settlements. Nor will I draw any attention to myself—but you must promise to do the same. Now that you know of me, the Yeerks can find me.>

Jake glanced around for backup, but all eyes were on him, <I swear,> he said, finally.

Aximili nodded, <Are you sure you do not wish to hunt together?>

<No,> Marco said quickly, remembering waking up after their first transformation, covered in blood and gluttonously full, <we have to go.>

Marco led the way, leaving Aximili sitting in the clearing to watch them. He looked wretched, and like he wanted nothing more than to run with them.

<Remember!> he called, <we must decide on an Alpha soon—or I fear for us all!>

 

<What are we going to do?> Rachel asked as they ran, <about an Alpha?>

<I won’t,> Cassie said determinedly, <no one should _ever_ be able to control anyone. >

<It’s wrong,> Jake agreed.

<I hate it too,> Marco said, <but look at our alternatives. We either end up as animals in the woods, or locked up in an asylum.>

Rachel stayed quiet, and she was thinking rather guiltily that she would like to be an Alpha.

<We’ll find another way,> Jake said, <there _has_ to be one. >

<Lone wolves exist,> Cassie pointed out; <they don’t have a pack, so they’re technically their own Alpha.>

They came up to the edge of the woods rather quickly. Fear rose in their minds, shared and expanded by each of them, at the thought of discovering they would be unable to transform right now.

<Here goes nothing,> Rachel muttered, and focused on her human self.

Nothing happened.

<No! No! No!> Marco started shouting. He was yelping and leaping in circles.

<Human!> Cassie called, <remember that you are _human_! You can change! I know it! >

Her limbs were creaking and as they watched her fur was being absorbed into her skin and her tail was shrinking. Seeing her change brought an air of relief to the other wolves, and they calmed enough to focus on changing again. It was like crawling from a tar pit, with weights around their ankles. The upward climb that just got steeper and steeper and despair started growing in their guts that they would never make it. Cassie, mostly human, ran between them and urged them all to keep fighting. They followed the sound of her voice and their human features started becoming more and more prominent.

“That settles it!” Marco shouted, human vocals coming from a body that was still half-wolf, “I’m done! I’m out! I can’t change anymore. This was the _last_ straw!”

His transformation ended and he sat down, tucking his hands under his knees to keep them from shaking. Jake hadn’t seen Marco this upset since his mother had died.

“You can’t be done!” Rachel shouted, unsure what to do in the situation, “we have to fight the Yeerks!”

“I don’t care! I’m done!” Marco snapped, “I’ll help you find a way to keep from getting us all stuck as nothlits one way or another, but after that count me out. You’ve got Ax now. I’m sure he can do more than I can to help.”

“Okay,” Jake said quietly, though he looked hurt.

“We just need a break,” Cassie said, “a good night’s sleep. It’s been a long day for everyone.”

Marco shook his head, “No, I’m out. For good.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who's been reading and leaving me great reviews, and to all of you who have been patient with me. I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

In the three days since they had met Aximili, Marco had kept his word. He hadn’t changed, hadn’t even _thought_ about changing, and he was feeling just fine. There hadn’t been time, in between homework and school and dealing with parents; to go back to talk to the werewolf or do much other than think about their situation. No one was sure where to go for information to save them all from becoming nothlits. They were wary of telling the Chee about Aximili, and had decided as a group to keep that secret until they knew more.

Cassie hadn’t seen or smelled anything to show Aximili had come near her home, and they were all relieved for that. Jake spent that first night they’d met the other werewolf patrolling the edge of the woods on Cassie’s property; to be sure the werewolf wouldn’t come after her and her family.

They hadn’t talked about what it meant that Marco was out, too. He wasn’t sure if the others actually understood what he meant. He was done with the war, with the fighting and trying to save people from the Yeerks. There was a way to save Tom now—and he’d try to help Jake—but he had to take care of his dad and Marco couldn’t risk anything awful happening to him. He and Jake hadn’t really talked either, and that stung. Before Elfangor had bitten them, Marco and Jake had been joined at the hip. It felt weird to go this long without hanging out.

Which was why, when Jake was shoulder-deep in his locker and looking for a book, Marco gave him a nudge with his shoulder as he went to his own. The contact sparked in his skin, sending a thrill of relief down Marco’s spine. Jake shot out a tendril of happiness, mixed with something that felt fond and safe like family. Marco regretted initiating contact now. He wanted to forget what he was going to lose.

Jake stood up straight to say something, and then froze. His eyes were locked on someone behind Marco.

“Yeerks?” Marco mouthed, as he turned.

He froze on the spot.

Walking towards them, through the crowds of school kids, was Elfangor. 

But it wasn’t—Marco realized just as his breathing hitched in panic—he was shorter than Elfangor. And smaller—like a kid-sized version of the werewolf that still haunted his nightmares. But he had the same brown skin and dark, curly hair. The same jawline and startling green eyes. His face was softer though… he didn’t seem as dangerous. Marco was aware that looks could always be deceiving, but there was an innocence to Aximili’s human face that wasn’t there on Elfangor’s.

“Do all werewolves look the same?” he muttered to Jake. He knew Jake would be able to hear him even though Marco’s back was to him.

Aximilli was looking around the halls, obviously on the hunt for someone. Jake wanted to confront him—why was he _here_ of all places, how did he know this was where they went to school? But that would mean revealing himself and the others.

If Aximilli was at their school, though, he must know who they are. It couldn’t be a coincidence. Marco felt the spike of alarm in the back of his mind that meant Rachel and Cassie had noticed the werewolf. To Jake and Marco’s horror, Aximilli saw the girls and made a beeline right for them.

<What is he doing here?> Rachel shouted.

Rachel wasted no time in pretending she didn’t know who Aximili was. She stepped in front of Cassie and her eyes went dark around the edges. Jake could see her fangs starting to grow and started moving towards them.

<Rachel stop!> Marco said frantically, looking around for Chapman in case the Controller saw her changing, <you can’t change here!>

Aximili walked right up to the girls, leaning in close to sniff at them. He barely seemed to see Rachel and was completely focused on Cassie. Marco could tell that Jake was on the verge of changing too, and moved faster to keep up with him.

“What do you want?” Rachel snarled.

Cassie ducked under her arm to get into Aximili’s face, “How did you find me?” she demanded.

Aximili glanced around, and took in all of their faces and Marco realized they were screwed. He knew who they all were now—there was no mistaking the four werewolves Aximili had met were the four kids coming to surround him.

“I followed your scent,” Aximili said, and quickly added, “I did not approach your family. I promise.”

“You promised to stay out of town,” Jake growled as Rachel shoved herself between Cassie and Aximili. Jake wasn’t aggressive like Rachel, but he was a big enough guy that a few words usually broke up any scenario. Marco had never actually seen him fight anyone. Rachel was more willing to attack and get her hands dirty and Marco had no doubts she’d fight Aximili if he tried anything. Aximili seemed to be surprised by the tall Berenson front and took a step back. Marco wanted to bury his face in his hands. They were causing a _huge_ scene. Someone was going to come see what was happening.

“I apologize for coming into the city,” Aximili said, “when we had a standing agreement that I should avoid human settlements. I have clothed myself properly and have not drawn any attention to myself.”

“Why are you here?” Rachel asked. She was digging her nails into her palms, forcing herself not to change. Her ears seemed just a little too pointy and her hair a little shaggier, but she was maintaining control.

Anger was burning in Marco’s stomach. School used to be his escape from home and from the husk of his father—it had been invaded by the Yeerks and now the werewolves too. He didn’t like it.

“We must choose an Alpha!” Aximili said in a hushed whisper, “you have let the matter sit too long. It is dangerous for us to be alone now.”

“No,” Jake shook his head, “we’re going to find another way.”

“Find another way _after_ you’re safe. If there is one—which I am telling you now that there is not!” Aximili looked ready to bare his fangs at Jake in rage. Marco wondered how often Aximili was ever human because nothing about him seemed human, or like he _was_ human.

“You’re drawing attention now,” Marco pointed out, “you need to leave.”

“Since you refuse to accept me I have already taken what I know of you and picked the best… _one_ of you who will be suited for the role,” Aximili continued as if he hadn’t heard Marco, “and the best of you is… _her_.”

He pointed at Cassie. Her jaw dropped in shock.

“Stop that!” Jake slapped Aximili’s hand down, just as Chapman rounded the corner. He moved towards them immediately.

“Is something wrong here?” the vice-principal asked.

Marco’s stomach dropped.

“No, nothing, sir,” he stammered, trying to think up a clever lie.

“This is my cousin!” Jake said loudly, “uh, Phil! He’s in town visiting right now—I was just introducing him to my friends.”

Chapman regarded them coldly, and Marco wanted to punch Jake. That was such a _stupid_ lie. Aximili should be his or Cassie’s cousin if that’s how they were going to do this—not the _white_ kids’ cousin.

“Cousin Phil!” Rachel beamed, pulling him into a rough hug, “so good to see you again!”

Chapman seemed to buy it, just as the bell to start classes rang, “Pointing is rude, children. If he’s attending your classes Jake, you need to check with your teachers first if it is okay.”

“No problem,” Jake said with fake enthusiasm. They could all feel the rage and disgust Jake had for the Yeerk in Chapman’s head. 

Chapman nodded and continued down the hall, saying hello to other kids as he passed them.

“We need an Alpha,” Aximili growled.

“ _You_ need to shut up!” Marco snapped, “Chapman is one of them. If he figures out who we are then it’s all over.”

Aximili paled. There was no need for Marco to elaborate who ‘they’ were.

“I’m not an Alpha,” Cassie said, shaking her head, “I can’t be. I won’t.” The bell for first period rang, startling all of them. Aximili nearly flattened himself against the row of lockers, prompting a few curious looks from other kids as they hustled to their classes.

“You are the best suited,” Aximili insisted, once the ringing had stopped, “of all the varg present, and even amongst our people back home you have all of the qualities to be a great Alpha.”

“No,” Jake snapped, “now I’ve already said you are going to my classes with me—so you have to stay for the day. But once school is over you head back to the mountains and if you ever go near Cassie’s home again—”

“I’ll end you,” Rachel was shaking with rage. Cassie grabbed her hand and pulled Rachel towards their class.

“Are you going to be okay?” Marco asked Jake, not caring if Aximili heard them. The halls were mostly empty, but he kept his voice down to be safe.

“Yeah,” Jake nodded, keeping his eyes on Aximili, “we’ll be fine.”

Marco grabbed his stuff from his locker and took off down the hall. He didn’t like the idea of Jake spending a whole day with a strange werewolf. He had class with Jake today so he’d see him then. Marco also didn’t like the idea of himself spending any one-on-one time with Aximili. Why did the werewolf have to come to their school? Didn’t he realize how risky that was? If Chapman suspected them, it would be over before it even started. The Yeerks would find them, and they’d find Marco’s dad and then it would all be over.

Marco rounded a corner and some idiot clipped his shoulder, “Watch it!” he snapped, feeling like he was going to burst out of his skin. He was filled with rage and didn’t know who to direct it at.

A large hand grabbed Marco’s shoulder and threw him into the wall. Marco hit hard, felt dazed, and barred his teeth on instinct.

Drake and Woo were a set of big, ugly jerks in the next grade. They were notorious for picking on everyone smaller and younger than them. Even though Marco had a smart mouth (and Marco could do intellectual gymnastics around them) they’d mostly left him alone because Marco’s best friend was Jake and Jake was a big guy. They’d also been the ones pinning Tobias in the toilet when Marco and Jake had saved him.

Marco was on his own and the smart thing to do would be to get to class. He wasn’t much of a fighter, especially with the two-against-one disadvantage. Marco wasn’t feeling especially smart, and plus he’d gotten a little stronger in the past few weeks.

“You wanna say that again?” Drake laughed, “c’mon, tough guy!”

Marco shoved him back, careful to not use too much force. He had to keep his head—couldn’t reveal what he really was. He couldn’t close his mouth, couldn’t stop showing his teeth. These people should be afraid of him.

“Hey!” Woo grabbed Marco’s wrist and for a moment Marco thought about tearing his arm off. He wanted to sink his teeth into their soft flesh and he wanted to rip and tear.

“What’s wrong with your face?” Drake asked from a distance, “what kind of freak are you?”

<Marco?> Cassie asked suddenly, <are you okay?>

Marco wanted to talk but his skin was pulled tight across his bones and he could feel the change happening.

 _No no no!_ _Not here! I don’t do this anymore!_ he thought.

A familiar voice came from down the hall, “What’s going on here?”

Erek wasn’t really a big guy—he was tall, sure, but he was adolescently thin and so plain that there was nothing intimidating about him. That’s how he looked when he was playing human at least. As Erek moved down the hall Drake and Woo seemed to get a sense that something wasn’t quite right. Marco could smell ozone and charcoal as Erek let bits of his real self out. It was just enough to offset the aggression between the three of them and Woo dropped Marco’s arm.

“Don’t think this is over,” he hissed.

“Bring it,” Marco growled before he could stop himself.

Erek was back to being human by the time he stopped at Marco’s side, “You’re going to be late for class, Marco.”

Marco felt like he was going to hurt someone. He _wanted_ to hurt someone.

“Thanks,” he muttered, and stalked off. He really hoped Erek didn’t follow him. Marco wanted to bite someone’s arm off—he wasn’t sure how well that would go with someone as powerful as Erek.

<Marco!> Cassie asked again, <what’s going on? Are you okay?>

<I’m fine!> he replied, a bit more harsh than he intended, <just leave me alone, okay!>


	10. Chapter 10

<Ax says he can’t safely communicate with all of us while he’s human because we’re not a pack, and he’s worried about accidentally broadcasting to the wrong people> Jake informed them a few minutes into their first period, <so I guess I get to tell you guys what he’s saying.>

<If he can’t thought speak then how is he going to tell you anything without getting you in trouble?> Rachel asked.

<He’s going to write it down,> Jake admitted, <since he’s ‘family’ we’re being allowed to sit at a table rather than my desk. The teacher won’t notice if he’s writing in my book.>

<He knows English?> Cassie sounded shocked, <do they speak English in Otherworld?>

There were a few minutes of silence, <He says he was learning to write as part of his training as an Andalite. If this was part of their training then I doubt he’s got any—his writing makes _Marco’s_ look good. >

There was an obvious silence where Marco should have had a response.

<Marco?> Jake called.

<He… I think he’s upset,> Cassie said softly, <he was mad earlier—didn’t you guys feel that? He said he was fine though.>

<It’s the Pythagoras theory you idiot,> Rachel interjected.

<Rachel, what?> Jake asked.

<What?> she responded quickly, then, <oh man, I’m sorry! It’s hard to know which thoughts you’re projecting sometimes.>

<Well as long as he’s listening in,> Jake returned to the topic of Marco. Aximili was nudging him and staring at him with those bright green eyes, impatient to get on with whatever he had to say, <okay I’m going to give you the rundown of what Ax has to say.>

<I’m not going to be the Alpha,> Cassie said quietly.

<It’s going to be okay,> Rachel said, <we just have to humor him for now then we’re going to make sure we never deal with this jerk again.>

<Alright—man this is hard to read,> Jake muttered, <Ax thinks Cassie is our best candidate for an Alpha because she is—has, sorry—she has kindness? Because she’s kind, I think. She’s caring and would be a good heart for a pack.>

<Tell us how you really feel,> Rachel added.

<Shut up,> Jake snapped at her privately, though there was no anger to his voice.

<Just filling in for Marco until he’s done whatever he’s doing,> Rachel sounded like she was grinning. Cassie was notably silent as well, and Rachel could see her blushing in the middle of class.

<Ax says that Cassie might be too shy though—I think he means timid—but that if there was conflict he worries about her being too complacent. His next is Rachel,> Jake continued, <even though he thinks you’re too aggressive. But you’re brave and you can and will protect your pack to keep them safe. He just thinks you’re too headstrong.>

<How does he know our names?> Cassie asked.

<He doesn’t,> Jake admitted, <but I’m guessing. He called you ‘the nice gray drappa’ and then Rachel is the ‘bear-wolf’.>

<I love it,> Rachel said.

<What’s drappa?> Cassie asked, <is that another wolf word?>

Jake was quiet for a bit, talking to Ax, <Yeah. He says it means she-wolf. Dragga is the boy version I guess.>

<Otherwise Ax thinks that— _really_? That ‘the tiny wolf’ would be the next best option. That’s Marco, right? Hey! What’s wrong with me? >

<Tiny wolf?> Rachel howled with laughter.

<Okay—Ax didn’t get much from Marco or me, not as much as he seems to ‘know’ about Cassie and Rachel. But he thinks I’d probably be a better Prince—after himself, though—because I keep a cool head in tough scenarios but I’m not much of a leader—as in I don’t stick, what? Oh! I don’t _hold_ the pack together. >

<Keep a cool head,> Marco scoffed suddenly, <he’s never seen me kick your butt at Ultimate Racing then.>

<Tiny wolf speaks!> Rachel said.

<You’re sure he didn’t write ‘Handsome’ wolf? Or ‘Magnificent’ wolf? You said his writing was bad.>

<I’m sure I misread it,> Jake admitted with no tone of sincerity to his voice.

<Marco are you okay?> Cassie asked. She sounded genuinely concerned.

<Yeah, don’t worry about me. I was outsmarting the teacher with my brilliant wit.>

Jake groaned, <You’re _never_ going to be smarter than your teacher. >

<I totally was, but I’m getting detention anyways,> Marco admitted, <he’s just a sore loser.>

<Ax wants to know what we think,> Jake said, <he also wants me to remind everyone that he’s the best choice to be Alpha because he’s been a werewolf longer.>

<Dude if he actually wrote that down cross it out right now,> Marco said, <I don’t want to get found out through passing notes in class.>

<What do you think I’ve been doing?> Jake replied sarcastically. There was an edge to his voice that made Marco pretty sure Jake _hadn’t_ thought about that until now.

<Well we aren’t going to let Ax be the Alpha,> Rachel said, <no way in hell.>

<We aren’t going to have an Alpha at all,> Cassie said, <didn’t we already agree on that?>

<Yeah,> Jake agreed, <we’re going to find another way.>

<Okay…> Rachel said, and then added, <what if there isn’t another way? Should we have a backup plan?>

<You mean pick you as the Alpha if it all goes to hell?> Marco asked.

<I didn’t mean that!> Rachel snapped. The bell for second period went.

Jake, Marco and Cassie all had second period together. It was unnerving for the three of them to see Elfangor’s likeness sitting among them. The nightmares they’d all had about the attack were fresh on their minds.

Aximili was staring around the room with wonder, and squinting at the posters as he tried to read them. Under normal circumstances he would be clawing at the walls, desperate to escape a confined space, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him and he wanted to know more about humans. He’d never been among this many in his life and their constantly shifting sea of scents and sounds were enough to make him dizzy with overstimulation. His wolf mind rebelled, but his lonely human mind felt comfort in seeing so many creatures with the same shape as him. There were only a small few of his kind here—even if they were Earthside mongrels— and he was going to help them realize their full potential.

<I’m having a really hard time concentrating with Elfangor 2.0 sitting across the room from me,> Marco muttered.

<Well we’re going to have to get used to it if we meet any more werewolves,> Jake replied. He elbowed Ax to make him stop leaning to smell the people in the row beside them.

<Are we going to start looking like that?> Rachel wondered, <because I think people will notice if we start changing skin tones.>

<You guys haven’t realized?> Cassie sounded startled.

<Realized what?> Marco and Jake both looked at Cassie, confused.

<He’s related to Elfangor. That’s why they look alike. It’s why he snuck out with Elfangor’s pack to come here—he probably wanted to impress him.>

Marco and Jake’s heads snapped around to stare at Aximili. Unable to hear their conversation, or know what their looks were about, Aximili looked nervous.

<Why didn’t he say anything? Oh my god we _cannot_ have him around us at all! > Marco was nearly shouting in fear.

<Well we told him Elfangor attacked us,> Rachel reasoned, <and that we didn’t want the bite. He’s probably trying to make us like him and knows we won’t if we know he’s related to Elfangor.>

<He’s in a rough spot,> Cassie admitted, <I think he’s trying the best he can.>

<I don’t like that he’s withholding information,> Jake told them. He was still staring at Aximili until their teacher called on him to answer a question.

<So do we tell him we know?> Rachel asked.

<I don’t think we should say anything until he tells us,> Cassie said.

<Cassie’s right,> Jake agreed, <Aximili is our best source of information about werewolves and what we should be expecting. I bet he’s got a lot of info on Yeerks too—like that three day thing. We should pretend like we don’t know.>

<I don’t know if I can do that,> Marco admitted.

<You’re not going to fight anymore,> Rachel told him, <you said you’re done. So does it really matter what you think?>

 

After school they decided to go to the mall because they were all starving, but didn’t want to go to anyone’s house for fear of all being seen together or having to explain who Aximili was to any of their parents. Aximili was uncomfortable with the cramped space on the bus, and Jake had to remind him not to sniff people several times. Rachel didn’t take her eyes off of him once, and was ready to fight if he tried to hurt anyone.

The mall was almost worse than the bus, and Aximili had to cover his ears when they first entered.

“There’s so many—nee— humans,” he gasped.

“How many people are in… your home?” Cassie asked. Marco glanced around to make sure no one was listening.

“There are cities, of course—suh,” Aximili said, “but I have never seen them myself. Nor have I ever seen so many people together in one place. Ace.”

“Figures,” Rachel said, “you don’t act like a person at all.”

Aximili looked offended, “I don’t act, tuh, tuh, human because I am not human. And neither are you.”

“Let’s grab our food and get outside,” Jake cut in, “I don’t want to have this conversation with so many people around.”

 

As much as Rachel was frustrated with Aximili, the mix of confusion and disgust on his face at all of their assorted junk food really delighted her. He’d probably never seen so much cheese in his life.

“You eat this?” he asked, looking at them like he was hoping it was all a joke, and then mumbled, “eeee-tuh.”

Marco took a big bite of a slice of pizza, a string of cheese dangled from his lips to the slice, “We _love_ it.”

“Is there even any meat in it?” he locked eyes with Cassie, silently begging for help.

She pushed her French fries at him, “Try it. Technically it’s not healthy for you, but it’s cheap and will keep us from starving.”

“We could go hunting,” Aximili offered. He didn’t move to take a fry, and stared at them as if their very existence was offending him. Rachel was reminded suddenly that he was a kid just like they were, and was all alone in a strange world. She felt a twist in her gut that made her want to help him—to reach out and ease the loneliness he must be feeling—but she pushed it down. Her friends came first, and Aximili was a threat to them right now.

“Just try it,” Cassie smiled, and Rachel knew that Aximili was done for. No one could resist Cassie’s charm. Charm wasn’t quite the right word— Cassie just had a sense around here that made it impossible to say no when she asked.

Jake paused in the middle of his burger to watch as Aximili gingerly picked up a fry. He looked as if he’d been sucking on a lemon, and held the fry like it was going to hurt him. Cautiously he brought it up to his face and took a small bite. Marco didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath until Aximili’s face lit up in delight.

Before anyone could stop him he’d grabbed a handful of Cassie’s fries and shoved them into his mouth.

“What are these? They are _delicious_! De. Lish. Us. Usssss!” Aximili shouted. Everyone was too stunned to stop him, even when he took a bite from Marco’s pizza and almost started crying over the taste of cheese. He took Jake’s burger right out of his hands next, ignoring Jake’s vocal disagreement with his actions.

“Slow down!” Rachel shouted, pulling her plate out of Aximili’s reach, “you’re going to give yourself a stomach ache!”

 

It took less than ten minutes for the five of them to finish the rest of the food. Cassie didn’t think she’d ever eaten so fast in her whole life.

“So,” Jake said, licking the last of the salt off of his fingers, “we need to talk.”

Marco yanked the empty fry packaging away from where Aximili was trying to lick up the rest of the salt, “Hey, Ax, c’mon!”

“Ax?” Aximili was confused.

Marco waved his hands excessively, “It’s a nickname. Because your name is long and weird, whatever.”

“You said you were going to stay out of the city—stay in the woods,” Jake said, getting very serious.

Ax sat up straight, and then seemed to think better of it and let himself slouch, hunching his shoulders. It was an act of submission that anyone could see a mile off, but it was nice to know he probably felt bad about what he’d done.

“I could not wait,” he said, “we are running—ning— out of time. Even by the next full moon I fear we will not return from the Hunt as ourselves.”

Jake swallowed loudly, but kept pretending like he was a tough guy, “You promised us that you would stay away from Cassie’s home, from our lives in the city, and by coming here you put us all in danger.”

Ax glanced at Cassie and at Rachel when Jake said ‘Cassie’, trying to figure out which girl the name belonged to.

“I am sorry,” Ax said, “but as I have already, dee, explained. We are all in grave danger if we do not choose an Alpha—fa, fuh— soon.”

“We can’t have one,” Cassie said, “it’s wrong.”

“How are you going to fight the Yeerks?” Ax growled, sitting up a little straighter. Rachel felt her claws growing in. If he wanted a fight, he’d get it.

Ax went on, getting louder by the minute, “How are you going to protect, ekt, this world? How will you save your human families if you don’t save yourselves? Without you the Yeerks will take over and the human race will be lost forever. If you claim to truly care so much about your _humanity_ then you must embrace your true natures to save them!”

“We’re going to fight the Yeerks!” Rachel snapped, “we’re going to do our best, okay! We’re just _kids_! And we’re not going to have an Alpha because we’re _human_. We don’t need someone controlling our thoughts!”

Ax’s teeth were just on the verge of being too sharp, and Jake cleared his throat to get attention at the table.

“We won’t take an Alpha,” Jake said, “we’re going to get along without one. That’s final. But you know a lot about Yeerks…” Jake paused, and changed tactics, “we know your name and what you look like, and also where you’re living. You heard my name in class today, right? My name is Jake. As you also heard in class—this is Marco. Rachel is my cousin and this is Cassie. We’re going to do our best against the Yeerks, but we could really use your help. Will you work with us?” Jake held out his hand.

Ax nodded, unsure what to do with Jake’s outstretched hand, “Yes, I will hel-puh you.”

“It’s a handshake,” Cassie told him, “it’s our way of agreeing on something.”

Ax awkwardly gripped Jake’s hand, and Jake looked more than embarrassed by the whole show and quickly pulled his hand back into his lap once it was over.

“Now,” Rachel said, “you know a lot about the Yeerks, right? Tell us more. How did they get started—what’s their weak points? We want to know everything.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all my readers and especially to everyone who leaves a little feedback. I'm happy sharing this story with all of you, and hearing that you're enjoying it just makes my day that much brighter :)

“I don’t want to help you when I know it will all be for nothing. Ing,” Ax admitted, “you’re going to lose your minds and you’ll spend the rest of your lives unable to comprehend what you once were.”

“Ax, we aren’t going to have an Alpha,” Cassie said gently, “I know that’s hard for you to understand, but as humans we can’t do that.”

Ax sighed loudly, “I’ve done my best,” he muttered, “you only have a short amount of time before you all become nothlits. Lits. I hope you are planning on doing enough damage to the Yeerks that humanity will last until the Andalites return.”

Marco sat up straighter, noticing the shift in Ax’s language from ‘we’ to ‘you’ when he talked about them as a pack. He’d been so inclusive of himself, as if he was one of them just because he was a werewolf. Why would he suddenly change?

“The Yeerks are born… they were created by evil magic. For the purpose of controlling minds, to bend your very will to another’s’ command. But they became sentient, with minds of their own. They began to scheme and multiply and decided to take the world they believed belonged to them. Buh—leeved.”

“Who created them? Who’s their leader?” Marco asked, “isn’t that who should be targeted?”

Ax licked his lips, glancing away nervously, “Their creator is not a threat, and the means to recreate Yeerks are forbidden and lost to time. Their leaders are the Vissers. Visser One heads the entire army. Mee. I believe they are in Otherworld for the time being. Visser Three—the Abomination— is leading the attack on Earth. Below them are Sub-Vissers. We believe they have a higher council, but the Andalites have been unable to locate them just yet.”

“If we can take out Visser Three, will it slow them down?” Jake asked.

“Yes—suh ,” Ax nodded, “but first you will have to kill him. And without an Alpha you will not beat him in combat.”

“We don’t have to fight him one-on-one,” Rachel shrugged, “besides. They’re the bad guys, we’re allowed to do whatever we want to get rid of them.”

“As I told you ear-lee-er, Yeerks can only survive three days away from the Yeerk Pool. They have to return there to soak up Kandrona Rays from the Kandrona Crystals they have brought from home. If you hold a Yeerk captive for more than three days, the Yeerk will starve out and the host will be free.”

“That’s helpful,” Marco nodded.

“Because of their begin-nin-ings in dark magic, Yeerks are able to manipulate magic in any host they take. How much they can use does depend on the hosts own affinity—fin, fin, fin— for magic, but the most basic spells they will use against you are Dracon beams and basic illusion spells,” Ax continued.

“Those are the ones that can’t be in direct sunlight, right? Elfangor talked a bit about those,” Cassie said.

Ax looked sad at the mention of Elfangor, “Yes, those would be the ones. If you break the runes then the spell will be broken. Always remember, your wolf jaws are strong and born from Otherworld. You can break most simple curses with your teeth.”

“Can we learn magic?” Cassie asked. Her eyes lit up with excitement, “do you know any spells?”

Ax drew his lips back in a snarl, “Varg do not preform magic anymore. The art is dark and lost to us. Only fools and kerls practice the dark arts.”

Cassie shrank back nervously.

“What’s a kerl?” Marco asked. He surprised himself with the sound that came out of his mouth—the werewolf word felt weird in his mouth, and it didn’t sound much at all like when Ax said it. Everyone else appeared too surprised to react, except for Ax who looked far too excited to hear someone completely mangle his native language.

“A lone wolf,” Ax said, settling down, “someone who has been driven out or lost their pack. They are desperate to find a new pack before they lose their minds. There is a saying that kerls ‘follow the nothlit’s tread’. The Andalites are made of many varg that were once kerls. It… it is shameful to be a kerl. They are widely distrusted among the varg. But…” Ax frowned, thinking, “that is all that I know of the Yeerks, that is useful to you. May I tell you of our people? You should know where you come from.”

All four humans bristled at the phrase ‘our people’.

“Yes,” Cassie said in a soft voice, “I think it would be interesting to know about what we are.”

Ax lit up, and his smile was almost infectious, “As you know, Otherworld and Earth were once the same. But the Elder Fae realized that the world was becoming unstable—man was moving too quickly and balance was being lost. Many of the lera felt—”

“The what?” Marco asked.

“Lera—it means animals, generally. We use it to describe creatures that are not of our kind. The more modern version of it applies to prey animals, but originally it meant all creatures. Varg are lera, but lera are not varg. Not all lera are putnar, but all putnar are lera. But lera does not include man. Do you understand?”

Cassie frowned, “Aren’t humans animals too?”

Ax blinked, sitting back like he couldn’t understand what Cassie was saying, “No,” he said after a moment, “humans are not lera. We don’t include them when we say lera. Does that make sense?”

It almost did but they all nodded anyways, repeating the strange words in their heads.

Ax went on, “Many of the lera felt upset, and wanted to destroy man. The Elder Fae stepped in and decided to utilize a natural rift of energy that flowed through the world. They would overlap man’s world and Otherword, to keep them safe from one another.”

“And that’s why there are portals?” Rachel asked.

Ax nodded, “Yes—there’s no way to keep the worlds apart completely, because they were originally the same. At first the two worlds stayed separate, happy to be alone. But the portals are dangerous magic, especially left unattended. They had the potential to make everything worse than it was before the Divide. So the Elder Fae awakened once more to appoint guardians for the portals, to monitor who enters and leaves and maintain peace on both sides.

“The werewolves,” Cassie added helpfully, “it was the werewolves. Elfangor told us!”

“The man-varg. The only creatures suited to guard the portals.” Ax swelled up with pride.

“Why?” Jake asked.

“We naturally walk in two worlds. By our very nature we are both lera and man. If there was a creature meant to protect the portals it was the man-varg.”

“Well who made the werewolves?” Marco asked, “I feel like monsters don’t happen by accident.”

“We are _not_ monsters,” Ax growled, “and the tale of our creation is not a happy one. Long, long ago, there was a she-wolf who sought to overthrow the gods. She used dark magic to force her way into the mind of a man, and become the first man-varg.  Tor and Fenris saw her and were furious. How dare a mere drappa attempt at creation beyond her limits? They created a terrible earthquake that was felt around the world and the man-varg was swallowed into the dirt. But the she-wolf had done something terrible—she had shared knowledge that she had gleamed from man’s mind with the lera, and now they were all angry that Tor and Fenris should favor one creation so much above the rest. For the lera and the varg all realized that man would inherit the earth, and there was nothing they could do to stop them. Tor and Fenris mated and brought forth the man-varg as we are today, the second werewolf. He was both man and varg, the true putnar. And he alone could remind man to be mindful of nature, but while he was blessed with this role, he was also cursed. For the werewolf has both the mind of a man and the mind of a varg, and we must always walk a delicate balance between our two natures or we will be lost forever.”

“Is that why werewolves don’t use magic?” Cassie asked, “because of that… _drappa_?” The word was more of a growl, and it didn’t feel right in her mouth. Marco looked like he might laugh at her attempt.

Ax sighed, “Tor and Fenris left us with the ability to feel it, but we can never use it.”

Jake frowned, “That’s so dumb. Why would you let people be able to use magic but forbid them from doing so? That’s like telling people they can’t run, even though they’ve got legs. Why wouldn’t werewolves use magic? It’s probably helpful against the Yeerks.”

Marco shrugged, “Free will, dude. You always have to let people have free will.”

“Oh,” Jake realized, and ducked his head embarrassedly.

 

 

“So what I want to know is,” Cassie spoke up, “what is the werewolf hierarchy like? Alpha’s are the leaders, right? And then is there a second on command and so on? And an omega?”

Ax shrugged, “Of course, that’s just the natural order. Some wolves are stronger or faster than others, and some are siklas.”

Marco groaned, “ _Another_ werewolf word? Why can’t you just use English?”

Ax frowned, “Why do you have to use human words for everything?”

Marco rolled his eyes, “Because we’re in the human world. But I’ll bite—what does sikla mean?” The word sounded more like a squeal when Marco said it, and Rachel hid her laugh behind her hand. Marco made a disgusted face, as the word felt like it had burned his mouth.

“A _sikla_ is the weakest wolf in the pack. They eat last at a kill, and must submit to all others in a pack. An Alpha is not necessarily the head of the pack, but they are the…” Ax frowned, looking for the right word, “the heart. They keep the pack together, and keep everyone safe. They keep all the wolves from becoming _nothlits_ and their opinions are very important in making decisions for the pack. You should understand that most werewolf packs are just families, and so the Alpha is the father or mother, and all decisions are made as a group or on a parents’ authority. It is only because of the Andalites that the ranking of Prince became so important.”

Jake perked up, “Yeah, you said I would be a Prince. Why? What do they do?”

“If an Alpha is the heart of the pack then the prince is the head. A prince does not hold the pack together with love and understanding, but is given the authority to command them. They do not wield the power of the Alpha over the pack, but the pack makes a choice to voluntarily obey their orders. Most often a Prince will lead the pack if they are in times of war or fighting, and the Alpha is unable or unwilling to lead. That is why… Jake,” Ax sounded out the name slowly, testing the new vowels on his human tongue, “you took initiative in our first meeting to prevent conflict between us, but it seemed to be on the sense of authority rather than out of respect, which is how you all appear to treat Cassie. Sie.” He grinned at the feel of the sound.

“Jake as authority,” Rachel snorted, “you don’t have a commanding bone in your body, cuz.”

Jake stuck his tongue out at her, but didn’t respond.

“So I think we need to make a few things clear,” Rachel turned her attention to Ax, “we are deep in cover and hiding from the Yeerks right now, and you nearly blew that today. If you cause us any more problems you are going to be in deep, deep trouble.”

Ax spoke up before anyone could agree, “I promise to try and be more discreet, but I cannot be banned from being among humans. I have no ill intent on anyone who is not a Yeerk, or attempting to harm me. That I can assure you.”

“I think that’s fair,” Cassie said, “you shouldn’t be cut off from people, as long as you don’t draw attention.”

“Thank you,” Ax said fondly.

Jake cleared his throat, “If we want to talk to you we’ll come to the forest, okay?”

“I don’t want you knowing where I live,” Marco said sharply, “so we’ll have to have a different way of communicating if you want to talk to us.”

“If it is okay, I can communicate with Cassie if I need to speak to any of you. That way we can prevent anyone from thinking we are working together,” Ax offered.

“Sure,” Cassie agreed quickly, “I want to learn more about the werewolves and Otherworld, if you don’t mind sharing with me.”

Ax’s smile was sad, and Marco frowned. The werewolf didn’t make any sense—one minute he was rearing to join the group and the next he was trying to distance himself. What was his deal? There was an emotion building in his chest, so full and consuming Marco might’ve mistaken it for a panic attack. But it was red hot, starting with the burn from the werewolf word, and screaming in his ears so loudly he was shocked no one else could feel it.

Cassie turned to look at Marco in her very ‘are you okay?’ way, and Marco didn’t want anything to do with her pity.

“I don’t know about the rest of you,” Marco announced, “but I have homework to catch up on and a long bus ride home. I’ll see you all—well, most of you—later. Ciao.”

He left before anyone could comment. He was breathing in deeply, trying to cool down. He’d never felt such an all-encompassing anger and it made his whole body shake. He just needed to walk it off, and calm down before anyone directly set him off.

The bus terminal was in sight, just as Marco recognized two of the guys waiting for a bus near his stop. It was Drake and Woo, and Marco should’ve just ignored them, or even waited until they got on their bus, but he marched right up to his stop and knocked shoulders with Drake.

“Hey!” Drake snapped, “watch it—oh hey, it’s Marco!”

“You idiot,” Woo snorted, “do you want to get hit?”

“Try me,” Marco growled, barring his teeth.

They looked surprised at Marco’s direct aggression.

Woo rolled up his sleeves, “Well, hey, if you’re asking…”

Marco’s bus rolled up and Marco wanted to ignore it. He wanted to rip these guys limb from limb. There was a small, almost invisible, part of him that was telling him to just get on the bus.

“Friday,” Drake told him, “after school. We’ll see how tough you are.”

“Good,” Marco growled, and boarded the bus.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm making a bit of a change to the series: Werewolves only exist in Otherworld for the purposes of this story, and there's a (possibly unspoken) law that people from Earth are never to be given the Bite. I may tie it in with Serrow's Kindness, but that's still up in the air. 
> 
> So the Yeerks would never think that the Animorphs could be from Earthside because of this, and also why Ax debated introducing himself for so long because he didn't think they'd be strong enough to survive the Bite. This finally clears up those plotholes I accidentally wrote myself into, haha.
> 
> As of right now I don't know if I'll edit previous chapters, but I'll let y'all know if (and which ones) I do.
> 
> There's only a few chapters left now! Here we go!
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Ax ran through the woods, feeling the strength of his youth and the dirt under his paws. He was the true putnar, and the lera here had already grown accustomed to his presence. They no longer investigated his scent, or waited to see what could be creeping up behind them. The herla had grown smarter, and Ax had failed to bring down a single one of them on his own.

He was practically a kerl, but it didn’t matter anymore. Elfangor’s new pack—the humans who refused to acknowledge their true selves—had decided to doom themselves to becoming nothlits. It wasn’t unexpected of Earthside wolves, and it was the reason no werewolf had given the bite to anyone Earthside in centuries. Earthsiders were weak and out of tune with the balance of things, and they created weak varg. It was impressive enough that Elfangor’s desperation pack had fought Visser Three, and even entered the Yeerk Pool, and had only lost one of them so far.

Because of the Earthsiders’ foolishness, Ax was forced to take desperate measures. As an Andalite he had to avenge the death of his pack and the murder of his Prince, and as a brother he had to kill the one who had killed Elfangor.

It was a suicide mission. Ax was merely an aristh, and no match for the might of Visser Three. If only he’d been an Alpha, with a pack at his back and their strength in his jaws, then he would have a fighting chance of taking down such a powerful opponent. Visser Three’s host, Alloran, was a respected warrior and had been a Prince for his own pack. He had always been an incredible fighter, and with his massive size Ax didn’t have a hope of defeating him.

Fenris give him strength. Ax had hoped to find companionship among Elfangor’s new pack, some solace away from home, but he would likely not live to see them lose themselves. Now he hunted for his enemy. Beyond a cage, Ax feared the fate of a nothlit more than anything.

When he’d followed Elfangor’s lead to join the Andalites, his parents had been upset. They longed for him and his brother to find mates and start their own packs; to rear little ones and teach them all the stories of Tor, Fenris and Wolfbane and all the other tales their nurses and parents had told to them in the den. There was no honor or life among the Andalites, just endless fighting and a pointless future. The varg had protected the portals between Earth and Otherworld for thousands of years, and not once had they been thanked for their commitment to their duties.

Ax snarled. He’d accepted that he may fall in combat, especially against the Yeerks, and may never see his family again. He had never considered the possibility that he would die on foreign soil, where the air didn’t smell right and the wolf was considered a pest rather than earning the respect he deserved. He never considered the fact that he would die so alone.

He’d spent the afternoon after leaving Elfangor’s pack searching for Yeerks. As night had approached he’d returned to the woods in order to hunt and rest. He gazed upon Tor for what might be his last time, and slept under unfamiliar stars.

Ax had done his morning rituals, hunted and been unable to catch any prey. The lera were all hiding. But not from him. Ax was putnar, but one varg was not enough to disrupt the entire forest. He spent the morning trying to find what was causing the change, until his ears rang with the sound. The sound of magic—of old, erratic chaos. It was a portal.

He nearly ran into the clearing, but a scent caught him up. Yeerks.

Hork-Bajir, Taxxon and even human Controllers were circling the meadow. In the middle was a fissure in the very air. It hummed a faint blue colour, and widened and shrank on a rhythm as if it were breathing. Through it, if he squinted his eyes, Ax could see Otherworld. His home.

It was not an Otherworld he longed to see though. While he could recognize the mountains far off in the distance of the portal, there were leagues of Yeerk troops in front and waiting to cross through. As well as what looked like a transport caravan, full of nutrition and food that Earth lacked and the Yeerk forces needed. But the portal was too unstable—and too small—for them to bring anything through just yet. It was growing, even Ax could tell with his untrained eye. In only a few hours it would be large enough to carry Yeerk forces and supplies to Earth.

And unless he found a way to stop them now, there would be no Andalites to oppose them.

  

* * *

 

Cassie’s barn was its usual chitter of animal noises, just loud enough that the group felt comfortable talking openly without anyone hearing them.

“I think he was hiding something,” Marco snapped, “and we shouldn’t trust him.”

“Well we need someone to replace you,” Rachel replied curtly, “since you’re leaving us.”

“Rachel,” Cassie said sharply, “why are you being so mean?”

“I’m just not really interested in wasting time on people who are going to sell out their own kind,” Rachel growled.

“Rachel,” Jake snapped, “back off. But I’m not a fan of Ax hiding things either—what else do you think he knows?”

“He got super freaked out when we talked about magic,” Marco noted, “and halfway through our chat he switched from talking about him and us being one unit, to him and us being totally separate. Like he suddenly didn’t want to associate with us. What do you make of that? Or his weird way of talking? He doesn’t do it when we’re thought-speaking.”

Jake shrugged.

“I think you’re reading into that too much,” Cassie admitted, “just because he looks like Elfangor, and is related to Elfangor doesn’t mean we should be treating him like Elfangor. Ax is just a kid like us.”

“He’s a monster,” Marco muttered.

“You are so pissy lately, what’s up with that?” Rachel said.

Marco bared his teeth at her, “Why do you care, Princess?”

“You wanna say that again?” Rachel snapped.

“Back off!” Jake ordered, “what has gotten into _both_ of you? You’re worse than usual.”

“He started it,” Rachel muttered.

“Yeah but you always commit to finishing it,” Jake said, “I remember your fight with Saddler when we were eight.”

“He deserved it,” Rachel pointed out, “him and Forest. They’re the worst.”

“They are,” Jake agreed, “but that’s not the point.”

“Well our next goal should be to see what Ax thinks we should do to stop the Yeerks,” Cassie said, “he mentioned something about an Es… Escape? That device. That Elfangor could use to jump through portals. He said we needed it, or at least we had to keep it away from the Yeerks.”

“Yeah but we have no idea where it is,” Rachel replied.

“Well maybe we should try to retrace Elfangors steps,” Jake offered, “maybe Ax can show us where the portal they came through is, and then from there we can try and figure out where Elfangor went to get to the construction site where we found him.”

“A regular old scavenger hunt for alien technology,” Marco quipped, “you guys just have all the fun.”

“It’s magic, not alien,” Rachel snapped.

“Well sorry,” Marco snarled, “my mistake. Do I look like I really care?”

“Guys!” Jake jumped in between them, “settle down! Now!”

“What’s gotten into both of you?” Cassie cried, “you are both out of line, okay?”

“He’s just so _annoying_ ,” Rachel groaned, “isn’t he driving you up the wall?”

“I’m annoying? You won’t get off my back,” Marco replied.

“Shut up!” Jake shouted.

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Rachel rounded on Jake.

“I’m not trying to fight you,” Jake rolled his eyes, “just calm down!”

“Good luck there, buddy,” Marco sighed, “she’s a loose cannon.”

“I’ll show _you_ loose cannon,” Rachel growled.

“It’s the nothlit-ing,” Cassie finished awkwardly, “it has to be. You’re all acting weird lately, and totally out of character.”

“Oh and you’re not?” Marco growled. Both Jake and Rachel turned to snap at him, but Cassie held up her hands.

“No, I probably am too—I mean, I feel angry a lot. But have any of you changed recently?” she asked.

“Since we found Ax in the woods?” Jake shrugged, and even that movement came across as aggressive, “no, I haven’t.”

Marco and Rachel both shook their heads.

“I’ve been changing so I can talk to Ax,” Cassie admitted, “well, that was the intention but I couldn’t find him so we didn’t talk. But I think I’ve been morphing more than the rest of you, so maybe I’m not as affected. But I am angry, I’m _really_ angry, like angrier than I think I’ve ever been. But we all need to calm down and try to not bite each others’ heads off if we’re going to work together.”

Rachel opened her mouth to make a crack at Marco, and Cassie held up a hand, “Don’t,” she ordered. Rachel growled, but shut her mouth and turn to kick one of the hay bales around them.

“Cassie you shouldn’t be talking to him alone,” Jake said sharply, “what if he attacks you?”

Cassie shook her head, “I’m safe Jake, and I’m a big girl. You know he won’t attack me. He promised, and besides, he’s probably lonely. He’d be grateful for the companionship.”

“I just don’t like you being out there with a stranger alone,” Jake admitted, “if something happened to you…”

“I’d be pretty pissed,” Rachel finished, “and I’m sure Jake would be upset too.”

The animals around them started hissing and shrieking, or making whatever amount of noise they could make. Marco leapt up almost two hay bales, and Jake grabbed the sleeve of Rachel’s shirt in surprise. Cassie whipped around to find the source of the commotion.

Ax—in full wolf form—sprang into the barn.

<Yeerks!> he shouted, <they’re here, in the woods. We have to hurry!>

“Ax!” Cassie cried, “you can’t be here—the animals! Get out, get out! My parents might come in here!”

<The Yeerks are in the woods!> Ax repeated.

“We’ll be out in just a second—get out of sight, okay?” Rachel told him.

Ax turned and bounded right back out of the barn. Rachel brushed Jake’s hand off of her arm and Marco awkwardly clamored back down off of the hay bales.

“Let’s see what the werewolf wants now,” Marco muttered.

Cassie spent a few minutes checking on all of the animals to make sure none of them had injured themselves in their panic when Ax ran in, but thankfully they were all okay. Her parents hadn’t heard the commotion so she didn’t have to try and make up any story to cover what had actually happened. Jake and Rachel led the way out into the woods, and Cassie followed last, closing the barn door behind her.

Ax was pacing nervously a few trees in, far enough that no one would be able to see them from standing on Cassie’s property.

“What’s going on?” Jake asked, “you said the Yeerks were here?”

<Yes,> Ax replied immediately, <the Yeerks are here in the woods. They’ve discovered an unguarded portal—it likely won’t be open very long, but it will stabilize within the next few days and there is a large Yeerk force waiting to come through. They have lots of supplies and soldiers with them and if they can make it through the portal then we are truly outnumbered and all hope is lost.>

“Yikes,” Marco muttered.

“What are we supposed to do about it?” Rachel asked.

<Portals are very delicate,> Ax said, <plus the Yeerk supply trains are not well guarded. If we can intercept them, and cause trouble on this side they may find it too difficult to come through and the Portal will collapse. If we can also disturb the portal enough it will collapse. It appears to be a random one so we would not need worry about any new ones appearing in the area. We just have to buy ourselves time.>

“You want us to fight?” Cassie asked nervously.

<To save all of the humans,> Ax replied, <you must fight to save your earth.>

“I don’t know… we… who do we have to fight? We’ve only been in one fight,” Jake admitted.

<But you survived the Yeerk Pool,> Ax reminded him, <that is a feat only the bravest of the Andalites can claim. You are strong enough. You want to strike the Yeerks where it hurts? Then come with me. We can protect your home. Together.>

“Okay,” Rachel nodded, “I’m in. But I want to know—is he there?”

<Who?>

“Visser Three.”

Ax nodded slowly, <Yes. I believe he will be there. I scented him. But if we are lucky he will see to other matters… and if he is there I will take care of him.>

Marco laughed, “You’re not bigger than any of us. How are you going to handle him?”

<I must,> Ax admitted, <he killed my... I am obligated to take revenge for Elfangor’s death.>

“You can’t do that alone,” Jake sighed, “we’re coming. Did everyone wear your morphing suits?”

“Marco’s not coming,” Rachel said.

“I don’t know if I can,” Marco admitted, and grit his teeth against Rachel’s snide remark.

“We understand,” Cassie nodded.

“No,” Marco continued, “I don’t know if I can change. I’m afraid… what if I don’t change back?”

“We all have to deal with that,” Jake said, “but if this is our chance to hit the Yeerks where it hurts, then we have to take it.”

<You must,> Ax insisted, <please, hurry.>

“I won’t force anyone to come,” Jake said, “but if you’re coming, then morph now.”

Rachel shut her eyes and tried not to whimper as crippling pain seized her entire body. There was a block between her and her wolf form, and it was like crawling through broken glass and brambles to find it.

“Oh!” Cassie gasped, “it’s getting worse.”

But slowly, all three of them were changing. Marco had stepped back nervously, watching his friends’ faces twisted in pain. He thought about them going to fight, to kill and maybe to be killed. And he thought about going home and putting his pillow over his head and screaming until he was hoarse and trying to forget it all.

“Oh man,” he moaned, “this is insane.”

And slowly, painfully, he began to morph.

 

* * *

 

The five wolves moved quickly through the woods, with Ax in the lead.

<Quietly now,> he instructed, <follow in my pawprints. The Hork-Bajir use sight primarily, and the Taxxons are fueled by scent. But they only scent fresh blood. We will be safe if we do not draw attention. We will stop early and creep in closer so you all can see what we are up against.”

<We can take them,> Rachel said confidently.

Ax slowed to a stop, and crouched low. They all moved silently, creeping along upturned roots and thick bushes. At first Jake didn’t know what Ax was so worried about, but then he let the wolf guide his senses and the trees came alive with things that were _wrong_. His human mind knew that the giant aliens and centipedes that looked like real aliens did not belong. They were not of his world. The wolf in him saw threats—opponents— and he was already sizing them up.

The portal was in the middle of the meadow, and a guard of half a dozen Hork-Bajir and Taxxons were waiting. Those in the meadow weren’t even wearing charms to make them look human. The Hork-Bajir’s bright green, scaly bodies looked like small dinosaurs with long snake-like necks and beaked faces, and the Taxxons were giant centipedes with red jello eyes and large grasping pinchers for hands and rows upon rows of serrated teeth. They were easy to open up, and then they would turn on themselves and wouldn’t be an issue anymore. The Hork-Bajir were covered in blades, and their skin opened easily enough to his jaws, but they were threats and the Yeerks in their brains would keep them fighting until their hearts stopped beating.

Jake kept his head down and followed Ax to a point behind a leafy bush.

The portal was crackling in the middle, like one of the lava lamps Tom used to own. You could touch a side and the lightning inside would strike your finger. It was white-blue, and snaking through the air, from here Jake thought he might be able to smell ozone and even a rich, musty smell of an old forest.

<Oh!> Cassie gasped, <is that Otherworld?>

Through the portal they could see what might be a glimpse of a swamp or plain, framed by a dark forest with a mountain range in the background. It might have been the Amazon for how green it was, but deep in Cassie’s gut she knew it wasn’t anywhere on earth she was seeing.

<Yes,> Ax replied, <that is my home. And those are the Yeerks we need to stop.>

The swamp, or meadow, was filled with tents and wagons and many—surprisingly—humans, Hork-Bajir and Taxxons. And several other creatures that none of the humans had names for.

Among the guard watching the portal, Earthside, was a human with close-cropped hair and a striking figure.

<Visser Three,> Rachel growled. Fear knotted in her stomach. She’d been having nightmares about those fangs and seeing him pin Jake with ease and being unable to do anything to save her cousin, and now she was going to fight him again. But as long as they all fought together they could take anything he had to offer. She hoped.

<Ax is big too, and he’ll be going after Visser Three,> Jake said privately to her, <between the three of us, I think we can take him.>

<We can handle this,> Rachel assured him. She wondered if he was bluffing as much as she was.

<So what’s our plan?> Marco asked.

All five wolves were silent, and nervously glanced at one another.

<No way,> Marco growled, <I am not running in without a plan of some sort. How the hell are we going to keep these guys from coming through? And what do we do about this portal?>

<The portal, even when open fully, will be small. And it is unstable. We can only hope that it will not remain open for long, and will collapse in on itself. Any movement within it is sure to upset it, so Yeerk movement should break it all on its own,> Ax explained.

<Okay, so if it’ll self-close, then why are we here?> Marco asked.

<We have to bottleneck them,> Jake thought out loud, <they’ll be coming through a small space, not a lot of room to maneuver. If we can get at the portal we can hold them back.>

<But then we’ll be fighting on two sides,> Cassie reminded him, <and from what I understand that’s a bad idea.>

<Yeah,> Jake admitted, <but if we can split into two teams—one that faces out from the portal and one that focuses on the portal then once the portal closes we can fight our way out. I think that’s our best bet.>

<If we take out Visser Three then I think we can call the shots,> Rachel said, <we should just focus on him.>

<No there’s too many goons,> Marco said.

<There’s more,> Ax admitted, <I only got a glimpse before… but I think I’m right.>

<What?> Marco asked, <is it ‘worse’ more? ‘Cause I don’t wanna hear it.>

<Through the portal you can see several Hork-Bajir wearing a red arm band. That is the symbol for Visser One.>

<Visser One is… that’s like Visser Three’s boss, right?> Cassie replied.

<Yes,> Ax agreed, <Visser One is the highest ranking Yeerk in the Yeerk Empire, and is the worst and most cunning of them all. And if they plan on coming Earthside then we will have bigger things than Visser Three to worry about.>

<How will we know Visser One?> Marco asked, <like, will he be super ugly or scarier than Visser Three?>

Ax huffed softly, disturbing some leaves near the end of his snout, <I am afraid I do not know who Visser One’s current host is. But I am sure we will know him when we see him.>


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was going to be one huge chapter, but I finally managed to find a point halfway through that I feel comfortable breaking at because otherwise it just felt _too_ long. 
> 
> Get ready to see some familiar faces! 
> 
> Thanks for all the comments and kudos. Y'all make writing this story a pleasure!

<I don’t like the idea of a two-sided battle, but I think that’s our only option,> Jake sighed.

<Wait,> Marco lifted his head, ears pointed forwards, <do we have to wait for the portal to stabilize? If we can stop most of the goons on this side, maybe we can make the Yeerks on the other side of the portal to rethink coming through. Plus, if we can get most of the fighting done before they can come through, then we don’t have to worry about splitting up or anything.>

<Wow,> Rachel said after a beat, <that’s… that’s pretty smart, Marco.>

<I _am_ smart, > he said dejectedly.

<That’s a good idea,> Cassie agreed, <as a pack we may have a chance of winning.>

<But no Alpha,> Ax reminded her, <without an Alpha we have very slim chances of defeating Visser Three.>

<We don’t need an Alpha,> Jake growled, <Rachel and I handled him pretty well last time, and with your help Ax I’m sure we can take him.>

He didn’t elaborate that he and Rachel had almost ‘beaten’ Visser Three purely through rage, and dumb luck.

<Yeah,> Rachel barred her teeth, <let’s do it!>

<Have I ever told you that I have nightmares about you saying that?> Marco asked.

<Cassie, Marco, I want you two to run around the outside and stick to the trees,> Jake ordered, <distract all of Visser Three’s troops that are lurking in the woods, and try to drive them into the meadow.>

<They will likely have dracon beams, keep your wits about you,> Ax added.

<Those are gonna suck—see if you can’t take those out if you get the chance,> Jake amended.

<And then you want us to stay out of the way while you and the wonder twins take on the rest of them?> Marco asked, <because I totally will.>

Jake was silent a moment too long, and Cassie ‘harrumphed’ loudly, <I am _not_ going to sit by and watch my friends fight for their lives! Just because Marco and I are smaller doesn’t mean we’re useless! >

<Of course not!> Jake pleaded, <I, I just don’t want either of you to get hurt!>

<And what if you get hurt? Who’s gonna haul your cute butt out of there?> Marco asked gleefully.

Jake groaned, <I’m going to ban that joke forever.>

<You’re not an Alpha, you can’t tell us what to do,> Rachel joked.

<True, but I am a Prince,> Jake added, and then faltered, <or, I mean, I could be. I guess.>

<I think that is a good idea,> Ax chimed in, <to appoint a Prince to lead the attack, and the retreat if need be.>

<You’re not volunteering yourself?> Marco sneered, <I’m shocked.>

Ax flattened his ears against his head, <I cannot accept that responsibility while Visser Three lives. I must kill him to avenge Elfangor.>

<Ax if you try to fight him one on one you’re going to die,> Marco said.

<I have accepted my fate,> Ax said sternly, <but you would be wise to have a Prince to lead you into battle. I will follow you, but I cannot obey you if you take me away from my revenge, Prince Jake.>

Jake flinched, <Whoa. That’s… that’s big. I… I don’t like that. Don’t call me Prince. I’ll lead us in, if you guys really want me to—but I’m not letting anyone die. That means you too, Ax>

<The prince formally known as Jake,> Marco laughed.

Jake swatted at him with a large paw, <Shut up.>

<Alright, c’mon, let’s do this! Before that portal gets any stronger!> Rachel dug her claws into the ground, <we’ve got the element of surprise. Now’s our chance!>

<I can provide a diversion,> Ax nodded decisively, <if you all move to that tree there—it is a closer point to the Visser and his honor guard. I will wait here and on your signal Prince Jake, I will draw their attention.>

<Not alone,> Jake said quickly, and his tone was a little distant that meant he was mulling things over in his head, <no, Marco and Cassie stay here, and go opposite of Rachel and I. When I give the signal then do what I said earlier and attack the people guarding the perimeter. We might give them the idea that there’s a lot of us. Rachel and I will go for the Visser, and Ax will join us.>

<Yes sir,> Marco laughed.

<Remember,> Cassie reminded everyone, <the Visser believes we’re Andalites. Nobody talk to him so that he thinks we’re an Andalite pack, and not just a bunch of kids with families to exploit.>

<That is a good ploy,> Ax agreed, <I will speak to him to let him know I am avenging Elfangor, but I _am_ an Andalite so it should help your cause. >

Rachel and Jake got to their feet. Rachel shook twigs and dead leaves from her thick coat.

<This is it,> Rachel said gravely, <we get in, we mess their plans up, and then we get out. No one gets hurt, okay?>

Jake knocked shoulders with her, <Yeah, that’s the plan. Nobody do anything stupid. Marco, Cassie, if you’re in trouble you run away. Rachel and I will make sure you get out of here safe. Everyone know what they’re doing?> he glanced around the group and looked into the unfamiliar muzzles of his friends and their bright, wild eyes, <then let’s go.>

Jake and Rachel slunk off together, while Cassie and Marco crawled in the opposite direction. Ax kept an eye on the Visser and his guard. As he did, he started changing. His wolf paws elongated, forming dexterous fingers tipped with long claws. His legs grew longer and longer and his body swelled in size as he reached his perfect form, the stage in between wolf and man. He crouched, coiling up and waiting for the signal to spring forwards. He would run straight for the Visser, and Fenris help anyone who got in his way.

<Okay,> Prince Jake said in his mind, <Rachel and I are ready—is everyone else ready?>

<This is insane,> Marco replied, <but Cassie and I are good to go. There’s a salad shooter with my name on it.>

<I am ready for your command, Prince Jake,> Ax replied, <and I wish you all good luck and strength to your jaws.>

<Thanks,> Prince Jake replied, <uh, you too. On your call, Ax.>

Ax breathed in deeply, taking in the smells mixing of Earth and his home, coming through the portal. At least he would have that last taste of home before he died.

 

* * *

 

Ax was two bounds into the meadow when his voice rang out in their minds, <Visser!> he bellowed, <the Andalites are here to stop you!>

Visser Three reeled back, and his guard moved to protect him as he began changing.

<How?> the Visser boomed, and all four humans winced at the sound of his voice, <how are you here?>

<Now!> Jake hissed to Rachel, and they ran as fast as they could at the Visser’s blind spot.

A Hork-Bajir noticed them rushing in and let out a sound half between hissing and screaming. Rachel dove at it, pushing its swinging arms aside so she could sink her fangs into its shoulder.

Ax met the Visser’s guard head-on, and Jake was left with the rapidly-morphing Visser turning to face him. The sentries around the edge of the meadow were shouting in panic as Marco and Cassie attacked them.

<The Andalites from the Pool!> the Visser cried as he recognized Jake and Rachel, <ha ha ha! You are all so young, and still your Alpha hides rather than face me!>

Jake bit back his retort—don’t engage Visser Three, don’t let him know they’re human—and snarled. He was one of the biggest of his friends, and if anyone could take on this monster, it was him.

Visser Three towered over him though, and even without the murky darkness of the Yeerk Pool to give him an illusion of greater size, he was just as large. His muzzle was scarred and there were chunks missing from his ears, though the wounds that they had inflicted on him in the Yeerk Pool were nowhere to be seen. His coat was thick and dark, and he held his tail high as he barred his yellowed fangs.

<Puny Andalites,> he laughed, <I will have you all enslaved!>

Jake ran at him, and a Taxxon squirmed in between the two of them. He opened it with a swipre of his claws and it burst like a rotten fruit. Visser Three knocked Jake senseless with one slap of his large paw.

<Jake!> Rachel shouted, <I’m coming! Hold on!>

She bit so deeply into the neck of a Hork-Bajir that she practically severed its head, and swung the body like a battering ram, knocking down two more Hork-Bajir rushing her and slicing open a Taxxon controller with the blades down the Hork-Bajir’s back. Jake was back on his feet and had his jaws clamped down on the wrist of a Hork-Bajir. The Visser lunged at him, jaws open.

<Jake!> Rachel screamed.

Jake dropped on reflex, going limp, and the Visser only managed to grab him by the scruff of his neck. He tossed Jake like a doll, including the Hork-Bajir’s arm that Jake had refused to let go of.

<Prince Jake, I’m coming!> Ax snarled. He bit out the ankle of a Hork-Bajir controller, and made to move forwards but a Taxxon had bitten down on his tail and was ripping it off. Ax rolled back over it, tearing into it with his fangs, and the rest of the Taxxons were already swarming at the scent of fresh blood.

 

* * *

 

Cassie barreled into the human controller, knocking her into a tree so hard that she crumpled. She didn’t have time to check if the woman was alive or not, though, as a Hork-Bajir leapt down from the trees onto her back.

<Marco!> Cassie shrieked. Blades dug into her fur, and try as she might she couldn’t get the giant monster off of her back.

<I—there’s three of them!> Marco replied, <Cassie where are you? I can’t handle all of them!>

Cassie dug her nose into the ground and tried to flip onto her back, to pin the Hork-Bajir and force it to let go of her. It dug it’s blades in deeper and it’s beaked mouth started ripping out fur around her neck.

<Help! Help!> Cassie screamed. She scrambled to get back on her feet, twisting as hard as she could to dislodge her attacker. It started swiping at her face, narrowly missing cutting out her eyes. She couldn’t see past the blur of the blades and blood as it cut into her muzzle.

There was a flurry of movement, and suddenly the Hork-Bajir was a dead weight on her body. She shook it off and backed away, wiping at the blood in her eyes and whimpering. When she looked up, there was a wolf—a real wolf—holding the Hork-Bajir by its broken neck in its jaws.

Cassie’s eyes widened as she recognized the white sock on his left paw, <Tobias?> she gasped, <Tobias you saved me!>

Tobias dropped the Hork-Bajir and whimpered, scratching at his ears. He had scars and cuts around his muzzle where he’d scratched at his face whenever they’d tried to talk to him.

Cassie’s heart sank. Tobias wasn’t back—not entirely. But he’d saved her.

Marco howled to their left, full of fear and pain. Cassie and Tobias both turned at the same time, and without a word Cassie ran towards her friend. Tobias followed her.

 

* * *

 

Jake was dizzy from the hits he’d sustained, and was having trouble staying on his feet. He could tell the Visser was coming towards him but he was seeing two Visser Three’s, and couldn’t tell which was which.

<Pathetic,> the Visser growled, <you call yourselves Andalites? You call yourselves _varg_? You are weak! I could kill you all! >

<Try it,> Jake snapped before he could stop himself.

<You speak!> the Visser laughed, and he opened his jaws wide, <but I will not kill you, foolish wolf. I will have you enslaved and crate my own pack of varg controllers. Then the Andalites will be unable to defeat us.>

<I’d rather die,> Jake growled, shaking his head. He could barely stay on his feet, he was so dizzy.

<You’ll beg for that, I assure you,> the Visser told him.

Before he could strike again, the Visser turned to face the large brown wolf rushing him from the side.

<Take this!> Rachel screamed, keeping her thought-speech safe from the Visser. She collided with him head-on, biting deep into his nose and scratching at his face. He ripped her off of himself, and threw her heavily into the ground.

<You look like you need a bit of a rescue, cuz,> she told Jake.

Jake laughed weakly, <what makes you think that?>

<Visser!> Ax shouted. He was standing proudly behind the Visser, covered in blood and the oozing remains of Taxxons and holding his bleeding stump of a tail high, <I am Aximili-Esggaruth-Isthil and I am here to avenge Elfangor’s death!>

<Ah,> the Visser crooned, <ha ha ha! You are not Elfangor, just the _brother_. The resemblance is striking, I will admit. I thought I had seen a ghost. >

<I will kill you,> Ax seethed, <by Tor and Fenris I will kill you!>

The Visser’s white teeth were stained with his own blood dripping from Rachel’s wounds in his face, <Then try, Aximili!>

 

* * *

 

Cassie and Tobias saved Marco, and the three of them dispatched the rest of the sentries on their side of the meadow. Jake and Rachel were fighting the last of the Hork-Bajir and humans, while Ax was taking on the Visser all by himself.

<Okay,> Marco let out a breath, <I know Jake said for us to get out of the way when we were done.>

<No way,> Cassie told him. Her muzzle was dark with her own blood, and she had to keep shaking her head to keep her eyes clear of it.

<Glad we agree,> Marco nodded, <now I saw we go right for those Hork-Bajir and let the big guys take on the Big Guy. And then five on one? We might have a chance.>

<Six on one,> Cassie reminded him, <Tobias is here.>

Marco glanced at the small, in comparison, real wolf standing just behind them, <Cassie I don’t think he’s _here_ , but I’m not going to send him away. If he joins us, then that’s good. But we can’t even talk to him.>

A _crack_ as loud as thunder rang through the clearing.

<The portal!> Ax shouted, <it’s stabilizing! The Yeerk forces will be coming through!>

<Jake what do we do?> Cassie shouted.

She, Marco and Tobias all ran from the trees towards the others fighting. They overwhelmed the Hork-Bajir.

They were so close to winning—but they were also all really beat up. And right now they were all alive. Jake swung his head around, looking at the bodies littering the meadow. If they ran now, the Yeerks could get their supplies and armies through the portal, but if they stayed they might die.

The human race was on the line.

<Keep fighting! Get to the portal! Hold them off!> he shouted, <Rachel go with them—they need your strength. I’ll help Ax. Don’t give up!>

Rachel nearly fell over herself at the sight of Tobias standing with Cassie and Marco.

<Tobias! When did—>

<Don’t,> Cassie warned her, <he’s not back, not yet. But he saved me. He’s fighting with us! Just don’t talk to him.>

Two Hork-Bajir pulled themselves through the portal to Otherworld, clawing their way Earthside. They looked dizzy and disoriented, but swung their bladed arms to-and-fro. Rachel charged right in, heedless of the blades that cut into her fur, and sunk her fangs into the chest of the closest one.

More Hork-Bajir, two at a time, were coming through, almost falling on top of one another. They were forcing the werewolves back and making room for an ox-drawn wagon to be pulled through.

<No!> Cassie shouted, <they’re getting in!>

Tobias darted through their legs and ran at the ox, biting at its legs and forcing it to start running. The Hork-Bajir went after him, and to stop the wagon, and the opening gave Rachel time to fight back.

“Visser, I am truly disappointed,” a voice said from the other side of the portal. Whoever was talking was standing just out of sight to allow for more Hork-Bajir and wagons to come through. Marco couldn’t shake the feeling that something about the voice was familiar.

<Visser One!> Visser Three boomed in all of their minds, <so glad of you to make our acquaintance.>

“Are you having trouble from a few, young Andalites?” Visser One asked.

Visser Three swatted at Jake, and deflected a blow from Ax, <Of course not. I could kill them easily, but capturing them will be much more satisfying.>

<Should we go after Visser One?> Rachel asked.

<You want to jump through the portal into the middle of a Yeerk army?> Marco snapped, <be my guest.>

The fight around the portal was getting wider. The Yeerk forces were pushing the werewolves back, splitting up their united front. Tobias was biting off the ends of tails, or biting at the tendons in the Hork-Bajir’s ankles. Cassie’s front was bathed in blood, both her own and Hork-Bajir. Marco’s coat was slick with blood and there was a large wound on his shoulder. Rachel had lost an ear and large patches of fur. Her side was dark with blood, as well as her teeth.

 

* * *

 

Ax howled in pain suddenly, drawing all of their attention. The Visser had him pinned and was biting into the fur around his neck, drawing blood. Jake surged forwards, but was blocked off by Hork-Bajir.

<Ax!> Jake shouted, <Ax hold on!>

<We’ve lost!> Ax snarled, and tried to claw at the Visser’s eyes, <we aren’t strong enough! You cannot defeat him without an Alpha!>

<Don’t give up!> Cassie shouted. She broke rank and started running for Ax, <I’ll save you!>

A large Taxxon cross-checked Cassie, catching her off-guard. It bit deep into her side, tearing out fur and flesh.

<Cassie!> Rachel threw herself into the Taxxon, ripping it apart with her hands. A group of Hork-Bajir swarmed them.

Tobias and Marco were left trying to hold the portal, but it was in vain. Too many Yeerk forces had come through. They were losing.

<We have to run!> Marco said, <we’re all going to die! We have to run!>

Ax was bleeding out and the Visser turned to face Jake.

<Leave then,> Ax snarled, <I will die before I become a slave. And I must kill him!> He was struggling to rise to his feet, and a Hork-Bajir put a bird-like taloned foot on him to hold him down.

<We can’t leave the portal open!> Jake shouted, <but I can’t beat him. Or fight through all of these guys. None of us are strong enough!>

<An Alpha!> Ax said again, <choose an Alpha! An Alpha’s rage can get through this!>

<No!>Cassie shouted, <I won’t! I can’t!>

<Everyone fall back!> Jake shouted, and it sounded like it pained him, <get behind me. I’ll cover your retreat. Ax get out of here!>

<I will die avenging my brother!> Ax snapped, <leave me to die!>

<How do we pick an Alpha?> Rachel dug her fangs into the thigh of a Hork-Bajir and felt blades cut into her skull.

Visser Three and Jake were circling one another. The Hork-Bajir around them were staying out of their fight.

<One—pick one amongst you, and feel your connection. Give them your trust and your love. Trust in yourself to know what to do—this is a natural reaction for our kind.>

<No! We can’t!> Marco shouted. He was trying to run, but couldn’t break free from the Hork-Bajir and Taxxons surrounding him. Tobias was trying to save Rachel and Cassie.

<Get out of here! All of you!> Jake shouted again, <or you’ll die!>

<Jake!> Cassie said suddenly, <pick Jake! He’s strong enough!>

Ax finally shook off the Hork-Bajir pinning him, <Follow my energy! Prince Jake, I would be honored to call you my Alpha!> He was bleeding heavily and swung his muzzle back and forth to fend off more attacks.

Through Jake they could all feel the touch of Ax’s mind, and it went from being soft to suddenly becoming hard as steel, anchoring himself to Jake.

<Whoa!> Jake reeled, <what are you doing?>

<Take the lead!> Rachel growled, and she could feel it, like Ax. There was a tether she could tie herself to, locking herself to Jake. It was terrifying—it left her completely open to him, but suddenly she’d never felt so close to someone in her entire life.

Cassie gasped as her bond anchored.

<Marco!> she cried, <do it!>

<No!> Jake shouted, realizing what was happening, <I don’t want this!>

Marco howled in frustration, but he was caught up in the emotions running through the pack, and he opened himself to his best friend.

Jake was nearly knocked off his feet. His mind was reeling as if he was transforming all over again. His senses expanded, encompassing all of his friends. He felt what they were feeling—their pain, their rage and their fear. It ran through him and made him stronger. Jake was all of them, and they could draw from his strength and he would keep them safe.

But they were in danger. His pack was in danger. He could see them all afraid, bleeding and dying. And there was a wolf in front of him. This wolf was the cause of it all.

Jake snarled and he breathed death. The wolf in front of him would die—all of his enemies would die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so i really love it when y'all think/speculate about the mythos/choices in this story, so I'd like to propose a few topics: what do yall make of Jake being chosen as an alpha in the heat of battle? Especially after they've been told Jake isn't the best alpha material the pack has to offer . Do you think it might have something to do with the kids being human and not understanding the subtle differences between being a leader and being alpha? Do you think Cassie nominated him because she knew everyone would agree with Jake being leader? What about the fact that they all went through with it even when Jake said no? 
> 
> I've got my own ideas, but I try to leave things open to interpretation and I love your thoughts! :)


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Animorph pack engage in their second battle against the Yeerks. Six against an army isn't a lot, but with the new strength and power of their Alpha they might have a chance to win. But while an Alpha lives to serve their pack, the pack in turn must serve the Alpha. The darker nature of the Alpha is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to the second-last chapter of the Predators! Like the last one, this is fairly long and full of a lot of action!  
> Fair warning that this is a detailed description of a battle, and as such there is blood and violence. Nothing much different from canon, except maybe a little more description.  
> Also warning for the controlling aspect of the Alpha's power. If you're uncomfortable with characters being unable to disobey orders/commands and the power imbalance that implies, then tread lightly. As this is going to be a pretty big staple for the series, then this series may not be for you.  
> Thank you again to everyone who commented and engaged in some fun talk last chapter about the nature of the kids' choice in Alpha, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

<An Alpha!> the Visser cried, <finally a wolf worthy of my strength!>

In front of them all Jake was growing, and a rage unlike anything they had experienced before was radiating from him. It was all of their hatred and fear and anger combined in one creature, and it made them afraid. Jake still wasn’t the same size of the Visser, but he was now larger than any of them.

He barreled into the Visser, jaws open, and the two of them tumbled into the grass.

The Yeerk forces around them seemed stunned at the sudden change, and were frozen in shock.

<Attack!> Jake roared in their minds.

The werewolves sprang into action, their energy renewed by their Alpha.

<The portal!> Ax shouted, <it can only support so many at a time—if we overload it then it might collapse on itself!>

Marco was the closest to the portal. He looked at the Hork-Bajir, followed by more wagons, still coming through. His legs were shaking with fear and with a need to move. He could do this.

<Rachel! I need to get to the portal!> Marco cried.

<I’m on it!> Rachel reared up onto her hind legs, swinging her paws in wide arcs to knock Hork-Bajir and humans back. She dove forwards, Cassie and Tobias on her heels, to batter a path through the forces.

 

* * *

 

The Visser swung at Jake and he grabbed his open claws with one hand. He was strong enough to hold him back. Jake leaned forwards to try and tear out the Visser’s throat. The Visser got his other hand on Jake’s chest to push him back.

<I will take this power from you,> Visser Three promised.

Jake’s pupils were blown so wide his eyes were nearly black. He strained against the Visser’s strength, pushing him back, and his snapping jaws got closer and closer to the Visser’s throat.

A human controller launched a dracon beam, catching Jake in the side and searing a perfect hole through his fur into his skin. Jake flinched, letting go of the Visser to get at his new attacker. He took the humans head off with one bite.

“Visser Three!” Visser One shouted, “the portal! Don’t let these dogs close it!”

Visser Three’s square muzzle swung around to see Cassie, Marco, Rachel and Ax running for the portal.

“Are you going to let a bunch of children beat you?” Visser One yelled. Visser Three took advantage of Jake’s distraction and grabbed him by the thick fur around his throat, tossing Jake across the clearing. Jake wasn’t thrown as far as he’d been earlier, now that he was heavier, but it was enough to give the Visser the opening he needed.

<As if I’d be defeated in front of you,> Visser Three shouted. He took off at a run, spraying dirt behind him as his claws dug into the earth.

 

* * *

 

Rachel was nearly at Marco’s side when Cassie screamed in terror. It felt like the ground under her paws was shaking. She was blindsided by Visser Three, who threw her into the ground.

<Marco, go! Do it!> Rachel shouted, and then his fangs were in her fur. He shook her so hard he tore open her side, and Rachel screamed in pain.

Cassie lunged at the Visser’s exposed flank. She was battered down by Hork-Bajir and Taxxons moving to protect their leader. Tobias tried to help in vain.

<I’ve had enough of your interference,> Visser Three snarled.

Rachel rolled onto her back, batting at his jaws and trying to go for his eyes. He clamped his massive jaws around her forearm and twisted. Rachel blacked out momentarily as the bones and muscles in her arm snapped and severed, and the Visser was tossing her arm into a swarm of Taxxons to be devoured.

<Rachel!> Cassie screamed.

Jake slammed into the Visser, catching him by the scruff, and pinned him to the ground. He tore out mouthfuls of the Visser’s fur while the Visser raked his claws down Jake’s stomach.

Taxxons were swarming towards Rachel now, smelling the blood oozing from her wound. Cassie pushed her way in between her friend and the Taxxons to protect her. Rachel struggled to get to her feet with only three legs, feeling no pain and only shock. A Hork-Bajir kicked her side and she crumpled with a whimper. Ax appeared on her other side, covered in his own blood, and fought it off.

<Marco,> Rachel shouted, <hurry!>

Marco forced himself through the wall of Hork-Bajir and Taxxons guarding the portal. He had to disrupt it—more than two people in it at a time. That was what Ax said. No way in hell was Marco going to jump in it, though. He had to force someone to double back.

Blades and teeth tore at his fur, and he forced himself to ignore them. The pain could come later. The portal was in front of him, and so many more creatures were ready to come through. Marco dug his fangs into the still-wiggling half of a Taxxon and started dragging it.

“What are you trying to do, Andalite?” Visser One asked from the other side of the portal, “do you really think you can stop us?”

Marco reminded himself not to respond. He couldn’t look up, he had to focus on his mission. If he didn’t close the portal they were all done for. A Taxxon latched onto his hind leg and Marco fell with a cry. He kicked at it, forcing it back, but it took a large chunk of him with it. His leg wouldn’t respond to him, and he pulled himself closer to the portal on only three legs.

Tobias flew over his head, snapping at the Hork-Bajir that were thinking about giving Marco trouble, and he ran through their legs and bit at them. They turned to chase him instead.

“I should kill you now,” Visser One snarled.

Marco finally lifted his head to look into the portal. Visser One was holding a dracon charm in her hand. She was human. She had dark hair and skin, and a stern face. She was older than he remembered.

Marco whimpered in shock. His mind was howling. How had he not recognized her voice before?

Visser One was his mother. His dead mother—not dead! Not dead, so very alive and now she was the enemy. She was going to kill him.

No, if she was going to kill him she would have already. She had a clear shot. Why would she hesitate from stopping him when he was the enemy? His own mother wouldn’t know his face—he was a werewolf.

Visser One couldn’t fire. The dracon beams were made of magic—or energy—and the portal was unstable. If she wasn’t careful she could collapse the portal.

Marco wanted to reach out. He wanted to talk to her, he wanted to hear his mothers’ voice.

He tossed the squirming Taxxon into the portal, just as two Hork-Bajir entered.

The entire portal shuddered, twisting violently. All three creatures in the portal were severed into hundreds of pieces.

“Andalite filth!” Visser One shouted. Her eyes were full of hate. She raised the dracon charm, and there was nothing to hold her back from shooting him dead now.

<The portal is closing!> Ax shouted, <all of you should run!>

<Get out of here!> The monster that Jake had become bellowed.  

<Rachel,> Cassie was crying, <we need help! I can’t get her out!>

<Marco!> Jake called, <what are you doing? Run!>

Marco couldn’t tear his eyes away from his mother. He was weak with relief. She was alive. She was alive and healthy and right in front of him, thousands of miles away in another world. She wasn’t dead. He could save her and bring her home, and then he and his dad could be happy again.

<Marco!> Jake shouted again, and his voice went dark and sunk like claws into Marco’s mind, < _run_! >

Marco’s feet were moving before he understood what was happening. His body was no longer his to control, and now the only thing echoing in his mind was Jake’s order. _Run_.

<All of you run!> Jake’s voice was hypnotic, and impossible to disobey, < _Ax,_ _run_! >

<No!> Ax was screaming, and Marco realized he was screaming as well. Marco could feel it, through Jake, that he and Ax were trapped in in Jake’s power and unable to disobey.

Rachel and Cassie were attempting to flee into the woods, Rachel was ungainly with three legs and Cassie was trying to keep the Hork-Bajir back.

Visser Three howled in rage at the closing of the portal, and Jake knocked him down with a broad swipe of his paw. Jake cleared through the mass of Yeerk forces remaining like a lawn mower, sending limbs and bodies in his wake. He was like a wolf possessed, and picked Rachel up to half-carry, half-drag her away from the battle.

<Morph!> he shouted, <morph to heal yourself!>

 

* * *

 

Marco didn’t know where he was running; only that Jake hadn’t told him he could stop. Both he and Ax were furious, snarling in their own minds but unable to do anything but obey. Rachel, now a full wolf, was running at their side with Tobias. Cassie and Jake were bringing up the rear.

<Okay,> Jake told them when they’d gotten far enough, < _you can stop_. >

Marco collapsed into the ground, panting in exhaustion. He started morphing, dizzy with loss of blood. They were all morphing human.

Jake’s face was unreadable, but he took two steps towards Marco and Marco punched him in the chest, swinging as hard as he could.

“Don’t you _dare_ order me like that again!” Marco screamed, “don’t you _dare_!” He was crying, in front of all of them, and he didn’t care. If Jake hadn’t told him he could stop Marco would have kept running until his legs fell off. He had _no_ control over his own body just because Jake told him to. Marco fell to his knees, openly sobbing.

Jake pulled him into a tight hug, and Marco tried to shove him away, though he was feeling weaker by the moment.

“I saw,” Jake whispered quietly, “I saw _her_.”

“Don’t say anything,” Marco whimpered. Jake squeezed him tightly.

“You disrespect me,” Ax snarled, “I asked for one thing! To let me die to avenge my brother, and you ignored that!”

Jake stood up to face him, “But you’re alive. You would have died fighting the Visser on your own, and now you can help us fight him. You’ll get revenge for your brother, but we need you alive.”

Ax growled as Jake approached him, and to their surprise Jake pulled him in for a hug as well. Ax went limp in Jake’s arms. He pressed his face into Jake’s neck.

“Forgive my anger, Prince Jake,” he sighed, “I… I am happy you saved my life. And accepted me into your pack. But I am dishonored in the eyes of my people.”

“Your people aren’t here right now,” Rachel told him. Cassie was checking over Rachel’s newly-grown arm, just the same as it had always been. Rachel looked shaken, and pale.

“Yeah, now it’s us against the Yeerks. We need all the help we can get,” Jake said. He made his way over to Rachel and Cassie, pulling both of them into tight hugs as well.

“Dude what’s with the touchy-feely?” Marco laughed, though his voice broke and his laugh was weak and pathetic. He wiped at the tears on his cheeks, smearing dirt across his face.

Jake shrugged, suddenly sheepish, “I… I don’t know. I just need to—I can tell you all need it. And, I dunno, I guess I need it too? It feels right.”

“You are the Alpha now,” Ax reminded him, “you’re comforting your pack.”

“Sorry,” Rachel said softly to Jake.

Tobias whined loudly near them. He was still a wolf and was staring at them all with wide eyes. He was bleeding from multiple wounds, but wasn’t as badly injured as the rest of them had been.

“Tobias,” Cassie said softly.

Jake stepped forwards and crouched down. Tobias shrank back.

“Tobias,” Jake said softly, and his voice had that same hypnotic pull to it like when he’d ordered Ax and Marco to run. Marco covered his ears, but he could still hear Jake in his mind, even though he wasn’t even using thought speak.

“Tobias,” Jake ordered, “ _change back_.”

Tobias whimpered loudly, and started shaking his head back and forth. His whimpers grew louder and built into a scream.

“Stop,” Ax said suddenly, “he is a nothlit! He cannot return!”

Jake’s face looked broken, “it’s okay Tobias, _stop_ ,” he said.

Tobias turned to flee into the woods.

“Stop him!” Rachel shouted, and her thick fur started growing again, “he’s hurt! We can’t let him get away!”

“He’s a wild animal,” Marco told her, “there’s nothing we can do for him.”

“We can _try_!” Rachel shouted, “we can take him to Cassie’s—heal him. He saved our lives today. No normal wolf would do that. He’s still Tobias!”

“He’ll be back,” Cassie said, as if she was sure of the fact, “he saved me. He fought with us. He _knows_ us. But he might need time.”

“I’ve never seen that before,” Ax admitted, “a nothlit—thh- _lit_ — wolf running with a pack into battle like that… but there is—sssss— no way for him to return. It would be wise to not get your hopes up. Puh.”

“Okay,” Marco held his hands up in frustration, “I need to know. Why do you talk like that? And why only when you’re human?”

Ax looked surprised to be addressed, and the rest of the Animorphs nodded their agreement.

“I… the sounds,” and they could all see that he was forcing himself not to tic, “I like the way the sounds feel in my mouth. I do not speak English very often.”

“Oh,” Marco wasn’t sure what else to say, “well, it looks like it’s killing you not to keep doing it, so uh, continue? I don’t care. But people don’t really talk like that, just so you know.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Ax smiled sheepishly as he added, “mine-duh.”

It may have been hysterics, but they all started laughing.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we are, the end of The Predators. I hope you've enjoyed yourselves and you're having fun learning about this au, just as I have. I'm still working on pacing, and I recognize that it shows. The next instalments I'm going to work on having less exposition, and more action, as well as really expanding the world the Animorphs live in.
> 
> It's going to be a bit of a wait until Part 3, as I've got to finish writing it and then put it through editing before I can start posting chapters. Admittedly, it will be at least a month before I can start giving news on when the series will continue. Keep an eye on my tumblr (or just check back here every so often) for any updates, and my tumblr for sure will feature lots of sneak-peeks. I use the tag 'Animoops Werewuffs' for anything and everything related to the werewolf au.
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has read this story and who continues supporting me in this crazy quest to rewrite the whole series. I love it when you ask questions, and when you make guesses as to what's going to happen next! You make this story worth writing, and if it weren't for y'all I probably would have quit after the first part.

It was a warm Friday afternoon. The weekend was upon them, and Marco had big plans. He was going to go home, and stay home, and pretend like nothing about his life had changed. No, that was a lie. He was going to go home and see the photos of his mother and realize there was no way he could turn away from the war now. If he had any chance, any hopes of saving his mother, then he had to keep fighting the Yeerks.

That meant staying in the pack. That meant having Jake as his Alpha.

Marco shuddered. The animal part of him relished in the thought of having a pack, in feeling the others like they were right beside him. It wanted to open up and let their emotions and auras run over him like scents. There was an intimacy among them that Marco hadn’t even known in his own family, and the wolf in him wanted to lose himself in the bond.

The human part of Marco’s mind was terrified. And rightfully so. He’d never been close with Rachel or Cassie, and Ax was still practically a stranger. He had no desire to let them into his head, no desire to start feeling about them like they were more family than his dad, or his mom.

Not to mention the door in the back of his mind, the one that he couldn’t shut because he’d given the key to his best friend. No matter how well Marco blocked himself off from the others, if only to keep their emotions and thoughts out of his head, there was no way to keep Jake out.

He’d been respectful about it, thankfully. They hadn’t even morphed since the battle at the portal, and Jake hadn’t used thought-speak since he’d ordered Marco to Run. The memory still made Marco sick to his stomach. The idea that someone had such total control over him scared him more than he thought possible. It was almost as bad as the thought of being infested by a Yeerk. Total loss of control, and he’d given it willingly to Jake.

Marco wondered if they’d made the right decision. Ax had said that Jake was the worst candidate for being Alpha, and yet as a group they’d chosen him. Maybe it was like how Erek had described what happened to Tobias—not everyone could handle the Bite, and maybe not everyone could handle being an Alpha. There was no doubt that what they’d done to Jake had changed him, and definitely not for the better. Marco had been best friends with Jake since they were babies and he knew that Jake would never have controlled him like he did… or kill people, which he had. Jake wasn’t a monster—

A fist yanked his hair and tore Marco out of his thoughts. He hit the floor of the hallway in a daze and scrambled to get back to his feet. The Yeerks? Had they found him?

“Trying to sneak off early, Marco?” Drake laughed, “or did you forget about me?”

Marco blinked the pain out of his head. Oh, right, the fight. He’d completely forgotten about that in the chaos that was the battle at the portal, choosing an Alpha, and seeing his mother alive. Besides, the rage he’d been feeling when he’d picked the fight had left him. The wolf and human sides of himself were no longer terrified about becoming a nothlit now that there was an Alpha—worries about the Alpha aside, of course.

“Class let out early,” Marco shrugged, “thought I’d get a head start on reading comics and ignoring my homework.”

There was no way Drake and Woo would actually try anything inside the school where the teachers would catch them. In order to fight they had to go into the wooded area on the edge of the school grounds. Marco wasn’t going to go, and therefore, no fight could happen. But the guys were still standing between him and his locker.

“Knew you were a coward,” Woo said aggressively, “I knew you wouldn’t show!”

“Nah,” Marco shrugged, “you guys caught me on a bad day. I’m usually more of a ‘make love not war’ kinda guy. Maybe you should try that?” Marco added, privately, _plus, I’d wipe the floor with you guys_. His werewolf strength meant he could take them on easily, but he didn’t need that kind of attention.

Woo shoved him, hard, and sent Marco sprawling on his back again. Okay, Marco huffed, once he had forgiven, twice was pushing his limits. Just because he didn’t want to really fight these guys at first, didn’t mean he couldn’t be persuaded.

“What ‘cha gonna do?” Woo taunted, “run? Cry to your mama?”

“His mom’s dead, dude,” Drake commented. Marco could hear his own heartbeat in his ears. Not dead, he wanted to say, she’s not dead. She’s a slave, and she’s so far away. I don’t know how to save her.

“Boo-hoo,” Woo snorted, “she probably couldn’t handle having such a wuss for a kid.”

Marco felt a growl rumbling in his chest. He wanted to bear his teeth. There were soothing tones from the rest of the pack in his head. They could tell something was wrong and wanted to help him. His walls must have gone down, or he was projecting really hard.

“Shut up about my mom,” Marco hissed, “don’t you dare talk about her.”

“Or what?” Drake asked, “you’re gonna fight us? Sorry wuss, you’re not that—”

Somehow none of them had seen Jake coming until he’d punched Woo across the face, and grabbed Drake by the collar of his shirt. Woo crumpled with a shout, clutching at his nose. Jake was snarling, and Marco’s knees went weak at the feral look on his best friends face.

Jake slammed Drake into the locker, hard enough that the door bent, “Don’t _ever_ touch him,” Jake shouted.

Marco heard people shouting and realized that they were causing a really big scene. People had stepped into the hall and the teachers were going to be notified. He wanted to stop Jake, but what if Jake ordered him to stand down? Icy dread formed like a stone in Marco’s stomach. He couldn’t risk Jake controlling him. He wouldn’t survive losing control of himself to anyone like that again.

“What the hell?” Drake whimpered, and the fear in his voice forced Marco into action.

“Jake! Back off!” Marco grabbed Jake by the arm that was pinning Drake to the locker, “Jake stop it! You’re going to get in huge trouble!” Jake felt like hot steel under his touch—burning, and impossible to move. Marco had never felt so powerless next to his best friend. He’d never seen this kind of anger in Jake before and it terrified him.

“If you come near him again, I’ll kill you,” Jake snarled.

“What is going on here?” an adult’s voice shouted. It was Vice-Principal Chapman. A high ranking Controller. Marco’s stomach dropped. A crowd had gathered around them, all stunned to see a fight in the school. Jake didn’t even seem to notice, with how focused he was on Drake’s whimpering face.

“They hit me first!” Marco shouted, at least that was the truth, “Jake was looking out for me.”

Jake finally seemed to clue into what deep trouble they were in. He let go of Drake and stepped back, keeping his head down. Marco wasn’t sure if he was actually embarrassed, or trying to keep his eyes hidden in case he’d started morphing.

“Berenson?” Chapman seemed shocked when he realized it was indeed Jake in the middle of all this. Jake was always the guy breaking up fights, and a few teachers had relied on him for that. He’d never actually been in a fight, let alone started one.

“I’m sorry,” Jake mumbled, “but I couldn’t let them hurt Marco.”

Marco spotted Cassie and Rachel’s faces in the crowd. They looked as stunned as he felt.

“I don’t ever want to see this again,” Chapman said, to all four boys, “we have a zero tolerance for fighting. And, Jake… I know your brother from The Sharing. He’s a good kid, and I know that you were raised the same. I expect better from you. Maybe you should come to one of our meetings before you start to get a… reputation.”

Marco felt the words sting. Chapman meant that Jake should stop hanging out with _him_. Marco the smartass, who got in trouble just as much as he made people laugh. Chapman was insinuating that Marco was a bad influence.

“I’ll think about it,” Jake said, and lifted his head. Marco noticed that Jake didn’t quite make eye contact.

“If I hear about anything else involving any of you, I’ll be calling your parents and we’ll be talking suspensions, or even expulsions,” Chapman said to the four boys. They all nodded meekly. “Now,” he finished, “it’s the weekend, get out of here.”

Marco didn’t need to be told twice. He was aware of everyone still watching, and teachers telling everyone to move along. Woo and Drake practically scurried away. They were so lucky Jake hadn’t drawn blood. If he’d broken someone’s bones, Chapman wouldn’t have just let them off with a warning. He might even realize they weren’t human, and then they’d all be Controllers before cartoons tomorrow.

Marco tensed as he felt Jake’s hand on his shoulder. Jake was unlocking his locker with one hand—his was right beside Marco’s—but he didn’t say anything. Marco was still getting used to the way Jake was casually touching all of them. He leaned on them or put his arm around their shoulders or hugged them randomly. It was weird, and out of character for Jake, but Ax had explained it as normal Alpha behavior.

Marco didn’t know if Jake’s hand was supposed to be controlling or calming. For all that he felt at ease with his pack, and for how much he wanted to feel comfort in the touch of his Alpha, Marco could remember Jake’s order during the battle. ‘ _Run_ ’ he’d said, and Marco had been powerless to disobey. He had nightmares where he ran so fast that Jake hadn’t been able to tell him to stop, and Marco had run until his heart burst.

Jake’s grip tightened and Marco glanced up at him.

“Are you okay?” Jake asked.

Marco took a breath before admitting, “They… they were talking about my mom.”

“We’ll find her,” Jake said sternly, “we’re going to get her back.”

“Don’t tell anyone,” Marco reminded him, “I don’t… I can’t have them pity me.”

Jake nodded quietly, and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He didn’t take his hand off of Marco until Marco shrugged it off.

“You’re… you’re still upset,” Jake said, and when Marco glanced up at him Jake gestured to his own head, “you’re projecting. I’m not prying, I swear.”

“Are you okay?” Marco asked quietly. He didn’t know how to address this new side of Jake.

Jake narrowed his eyes, staring ahead, and then shrugged, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Marco stared him down, and was thankful that he still had this much power in their relationship.

“I know,” Jake admitted, “I never would have picked a fight, well, before. But… you were upset. I couldn’t handle the thought of you having to face something alone like that. And they were threatening to hurt you,” Jake shrugged again, “I can’t sit by and watch you get hurt.”

Marco noticed that other kids were giving them a wide berth. He hadn’t spotted Rachel or Cassie since the fight broke up, but Jake was subtly leading them to a point where Marco was sure the girls were waiting.

They found them by the bike racks and Rachel jumped up when she saw them.

“Jake what was that? Oh my god your mom is going to kill you if she finds out!” she was laughing.

Marco caught Cassie’s eye as Rachel and Jake talked. She was thinking the same thing. Making Jake the Alpha had changed him in ways they still didn’t understand. They’d done this to Jake, to someone they both cared about.

“I can’t wait to go running,” Jake said to Rachel, “do you think Tobias might join us?”

“I hope so,” she admitted, “Ax keeps saying we can’t get him back, but I think that if he keeps spending time with us, maybe he’ll remember how to be human.”

“Before we go,” Cassie said softly, “Erek told me that the… his family have something for us. They made the, uh, jewelry that we were interested in.” She was glancing around nervously to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

Marco didn’t blame her for talking out loud. It turned out that thought speak in human form meant they had to kinda be in each others’ heads, in the sense that they had to be open to one another. It was why they’d been sharing emotions since getting bitten, and why Ax hadn’t been comfortable trying to talk in thought with them that day he’d come to their school. Now that they were a pack it was easy for all of them to communicate in thought speak, as long as they were okay being vulnerable to one another. Right now, after Jake’s outburst, Cassie wasn’t so sure she wanted to feel him in her head.

“That’s great,” Rachel grinned, “I hope they’re not as tacky as… you know, the other guys’ stuff.”

“Being hidden will really help,” Jake said, “we can all rest a little easier if we know others can’t figure out… what our dogs look like.” He had an arm across Rachel’s shoulders and was leaning into her.

Rachel laughed, “That was awful. You’d make a terrible spy.”

“Let’s get outa here,” Marco said, “the sooner we get our stuff from Erek, the sooner I can get to enjoying my weekend.”

They all started moving together, heading towards Erek’s house. Rachel shrugged Jake’s arm off of her to walk beside Cassie.

“Tomorrow’s going to be so much fun,” Rachel announced, and her eyes were bright with excitement, “Cassie and I are going to have a sleepover tonight so we’re gonna go running with Ax. He said he’d show us how to track scents.”

 “Ax said he was interested in my homework,” Cassie said, “so I want to get home while it’s still light out. That way we can go work in the barn and my parents won’t notice him.”

“Homework with a— a foreigner?” Rachel said incredulously, “so this is our life now?”

 “Compare our lives from, like, a month ago to now,” Marco replied, “I mean, I don’t think the trauma has actually caught up with us just yet.” He laughed, but it sounded nervous to his ears. He hoped no one called him out on it. By virtue of having to walk near Jake he was the recipient when Jake reached out to touch him, but Marco slipped under his hand and moved a little faster to lead the group. He hoped the slight wasn’t too obvious.

“We’re pack,” Jake reminded them all, speaking a little louder since there wasn’t anyone around, “so we’re in this together. Whatever life, or the Yeerks throw our way, we’ll get through it.”

“Besides,” Cassie laughed, and Marco wondered if it was just wishful thinking that her laugh sounded as nervous as his, “how much weirder could things really get?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE END
> 
> (for now)


End file.
